


Of Ghouls & Boys

by kingvandam



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Cults, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Ghost Hunting, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Road Trips, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, brief suicide mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 42,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23874061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingvandam/pseuds/kingvandam
Summary: Do you ever get the feeling that you're meant to do something. That's how Roman felt about this. That's how Roman ended up taking off for a road trip with someone he barely knows.
Relationships: Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley/Roman Reigns
Comments: 45
Kudos: 47





	1. Night Shift

**Author's Note:**

> here it is!!! my amateur documentary au!! i've been trying to get the written for months but just couldn't figure out how i wanted it to go. i wasn't expecting to post it so early but i already have seven chapters written so why not!! this one's my baby, parts are a little stylized, but it's fun!!!  
> updates will be on Mondays!! enjoy!!

One hour. That’s how much time he has left before work. Shift starts at 10pm and goes until six in the morning. Night shift. If he had any room to complain he would, but he didn’t so he didn’t. Pay was good enough along with free drinks and one free meal. Perks of a locally owned small town diner. He was lucky enough they gave him a job no questions asked. Small towns were always community oriented and Dean was an outsider. Just a guy from far away with no reason or tie to the town. He honestly hadn’t planned on being there as long as he already had been. 

Even after six months of being there Dean still didn’t have any friends. That was intentional on his part though. Packing up a leaving in the middle of the night was easier when you had no one to care. However the longer he was there the sadder that reality became. The goal was to start a new life and this town was just supposed to be a pitstop on his way to happiness. He wasn’t having much luck with that though. Maybe because happiness wasn’t exactly a place. 

Dean decided on a shower before work. That was the least he could do right? Smell nice? Look presentable for all of the five drunk customers they would get. Didn’t matter much, he needed one and it killed time. Shower it was. Dean groaned and propelled himself off of his couch into a standing position. When he stood he stretched his arms above his body and felt the stretch in all of his muscles and a couple of pops along his spine. He yawned slightly and headed towards the bathroom. Once inside the bathroom he took a quick look in the mirror. The bags under his eyes were dark and purple, blue around the rims. He needed some real sleep and soon. He was sure he’d pass out from exhaustion eventually. Until then he’d keep up his pattern of sleepless mornings and afternoons followed by the night shift. 

The water in his shower didn’t stay hot for very long. He had a 15 minute window of truly hot water and then cold water after that. If you asked he’d call it refreshing, if he was honest he’d call it annoying. He took his clothes off before he turned the water on dropping them all in the laundry basket afterwards. Once he was naked he turned the water on and stepped in the shower as quickly as he could. At first the spray was freezing cold, but slowly it began to warm up. He shivered involuntarily at the temperature of the water then stepped more into the spray as it heated up. As soon as the water was tolerable he rushed into washing his hair. He poured out maybe too much of the shampoo conditioner combo and it suds up to an extreme degree in his hair and hands. He let it wash down his body, head tilted back, as he grabbed the body wash and started to scrub it over every inch of skin on his body. He struggled to reach his back but who didn’t. 

When he finished rinsing off all of the suds he took a minute to just stare blankly at the wall. He let the warmth of the water engulf him. It was like getting hugged, at least from what he’s been told. Dean was never hugged much. Not as a child and especially not now. His childhood was fairly rough regardless of the lack of hugs and ‘I love yous’ from his parents. They had done far worse to him than just not hug him. The memories had Dean shivering again. It was no question what he was running from but that didn’t mean he had to acknowledge it. So he didn’t. Instead he buried that part of him deep down to never be touched again. Ignoring it was easier than dealing with it. 

By the time Dean had gotten out of the shower he’d been shivering again, this time from the cold water instead of the memories. He had no idea how long the water had been cold and how long he’d been standing in it. It really wasn’t worth questioning either. The time was lost and he was never going to get it back. Much like the rest of his life thus far. Gone and never coming back. He blotted off his soaking skin with a towel before rubbing it aggressively through his hair. After drying off Dean wrapped the towel around his waist and headed out into his bedroom in search for his work clothes. Work clothes meaning the only untorn pair of jeans Dean owned and an unoffensive t-shirt. Since he was cold he opted to wear a flannel as well, not bothering to open it and opting to just wear it open. He should comb his hair. He won’t though. He never did. 

He was in the shower longer than he had originally thought. There was still time before work but nearly as much as he had had before getting into the shower. He had to get going soon. The diner wasn’t too far of a drive, but it was a drive nonetheless. He’d have to leave sooner rather than later. Sighing he dropped the towel to the ground and started to dress. He started with his pants and made his way to the flannel. When he was done dressing he slid on his hoodie that had been serving as his jacket and his sneakers before heading out the door for his car. 

The sun had already gone down and the stars were out decorating the sky. The air was blowing cold with the wind and crickets could be heard for miles. Shutting and locking his front door Dean made his was to the car parked out front. It wasn’t much but it ran and you only had to turn the key in the ignition a few times to get it to start. It blew hot air and that’s what really mattered. Dean plopped himself down in the front seat before turning the key a few times until it started. Once he had got it running he shut his drivers side door and started to back out of his driveway. 

The drive to the diner wasn’t long. Only a few miles away. It was a ten minute drive at the most. He had no idea who he was on with tonight. Granted he didn’t know the cooks very well to begin with. He didn’t know anybody all that well if he was being honest. Again that was on purpose. Can’t miss what you don’t know. He should probably make an effort to learn his coworkers names at least. The only one he knew by name was Liv but that was just because she was always late to her morning shift. Aside from that he was lost on who was who. Sure he’d see their names on the sheet when he checked the schedule but he never retained any of that information. He didn’t really need to. 

There was only one other vehicle in the parking lot when Dean pulled up to the diner. He assumed it had to be whoever was on shift with him. He parked close to the other car but not right on top of it. Just close enough to keep the employee cars together and out of the way for any potential customers. When he got out his ears were filled with the sound of the river the diner sat right on top of. He made his way into the diner and headed right into the hallway before the kitchen to clock in. The guy he assumed he was working with was sitting at the bar with a textbook and a laptop out. He appeared to be doing homework. College student. Figures. Night shift was a good shift for what he was doing actually. After clocking in Dean made his way out into the main area and stood behind the bar in front of his coworker.

Dean stood there for a few minutes and when the guy still didn’t acknowledge him Dean spoke up, “Never seen you before.”

The guy jumped, clearly not noticing Dean had been there, “Yeah new. Well new to the night shift. I’m Roman and you are.” 

“Dean,” Dean tuck his hand out for Roman to shake. There now he knew another name. 

Roman shook Dean’s hand, “You from around here?” 

“Nope,” Dean smiled, “You?”

Roman shook his head, “Nah just got a job here. It’s not too far from the university and rent is cheaper here than in the actual college town.” 

“Well I’ll leave you to your work then,” Dean said as he walked to the nearest table and grabbed a mug. 

Walking back behind the counter Dean sat the mug down and started pouring some coffee into it. Roman just went back to doing his work. When Dean was done pouring the coffee in came the sugar. He put a lot in, always did. He also put in quite a bit of creamer and set out to take a sip when a loud crashing sound came from the kitchen.

“The fuck was that?” Dean asked, setting the cup back down on the counter. 

Roman stood up and started heading toward the kitchen, “I don’t know. Stay here.”

Dean wasn’t going to take that. Instead Dean followed behind Roman into the kitchen where they found a pot sitting on the ground. There was nothing or nobody there. Just a pot laying on the ground all on its own. 

“Just a pot,” Roman sighed. 

Dean shrugged, “Probably a ghost. Place is haunted.”

Roman turned to look at Dean with his brow furrowed, “You don’t seriously believe in that stuff do you?”

“You don’t?” Dean asked as he headed back to his coffee. 

“No, because it’s not real,” Roman laughed as he followed behind Dean.

Dean took a sip of his coffee before answering, “Okay then explain what just happened.”

Roman shook his head, a small smile on his lips, “Fell off the shelf. It’s gravity.”

“It was knocked off and you know it,” Dean laughed.

“Okay ghost boy,” Roman teased, “I’m gonna go pick the pot up and then get back to work.” 

Dean put his hands up in surrender as Roman walked off into the kitchen. After that things went back to how they had been. Dean busied himself with whatever he could get his hands on and Roman did his college work. The two just existed in the others space. It was probably the most comfortable Dean had felt since he had arrived in this town. Roman seemed nice. He also seemed incredibly attractive but Dean wouldn’t admit to that one out loud if he was ever asked about Roman. 

The shift passed by fast enough with Roman taking breaks here and there to joke around with Dean. It wasn’t too long until it was time to go home. They had a few customers here and there but it was generally empty throughout the night. Dean couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved to go home though. He needed a nap. He had been using coffee to keep himself afloat. Luckily for him his bed was waiting for him with open arms. The sky was still dark when he drove home. The night replaying over again in his head.

The thing Dean couldn’t get over was the fact that Roman didn’t believe in ghosts. What kind of sociopath doesn’t believe in ghosts. Did that mean Roman didn’t believe in demons either? Did he believe in aliens? How could someone actually just blame the pot falling on gravity. It was too far back on the shelf for it to have been gravity. Ghosts were real and maybe Dean would just have to prove that to Roman. That was what Dean needed to do. Convince Roman ghosts were real. Shouldn’t be hard. Next shift maybe.


	2. New Friendships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i'm 2/3 of the way through writing this. only seven more chapters to go!!   
> enjoy!!!!!!!!

Dean and Roman weren’t on shift together for another week. That was fine, it gave Dean some time to compile some evidence proving that ghosts are real. That had been the task occupying Dean’s mind as of late. It felt good to have a hobby and proving ghosts were real was Dean’s new hobby. Well it wasn’t exactly new. He had always wanted to prove their existence. Filming a documentary on the supernatural was Dean’s dream. It was one he was close to giving up on. He had no idea how to even go about it. All he had was a video camera from the early 2000’s. At the end of the day that’s all he really needed. Still he found himself almost scared to give it a try. He guess he just needed the right kick in the ass to get it going. Maybe he’d get that kick in the ass soon. The world is funny in that way.

Until then Dean’s mission was to make Roman a believer. Surely it wouldn’t be hard. He just needed to show how a ghost knocking the pot over was a more reasonable explanation than it falling off on its own. Easy. He sounded crazy. It wasn’t like he was being unreasonable. The diner was haunted Dean knew that for a fact. Why was something he couldn’t answer, but the state of it he could. Haunted, no questions asked. Unless you were Roman of course. What kind of freak doesn’t believe in ghosts. Roman. Well not for long. Dean was going to convince him if it was the last thing he did. Ghosts were real that was that. 

Dean’s research landed him in the library at mid day printing out news articles and the laws of gravity. Anything he thought might be able to help his case. Anything at all. The pot falling was not gravity. Roman was surely just delusional. He was hiding from the truth. Maybe he was just afraid of ghosts and this is how he made himself feel better. By lying to himself. The pot falling was a ghost end of discussion. Dean spent hours looking through news articles and science websites. He didn’t leave until he felt he had a solid case built against Roman’s skepticism. There was no way Roman could argue him on this. He’d be forced to admit Dean was right and then they’d be able to put it behind them. 

When Dean went home it was with a stack of papers in hand. He put them in his glove compartment to keep them safe. The first thing Dean did when he got home was make himself some lunch. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he had gotten back. He had been so laser focused on the articles that he hadn’t noticed anything happening outside of it. He got like that sometimes. He’d get focused on what thing and the rest of the world didn’t exist until he finished whatever it was. He wouldn’t even realize he was tired or hungry until it was over. That’s how focused on it he was. Sometimes it got really out of hand. Today wasn’t one of those days though. Today he was done before he lost any sleep. 

As he put the grilled cheese in the pan he hoped Roman appreciated all the work he put in. Proving Roman wrong was something he’d decided to do on his own. His only driving force was the feeling of being right and proving someone else wrong. Roman had no idea he was even doing it. Maybe it would freak Roman out. Maybe he shouldn’t go through with it. It might freak Roman out, then again on the other hand it might not. Dean didn’t put in all of that work for nothing. He was going to prove Roman wrong if it was the last thing he did. Well maybe not if it’s the last thing he does, but he’s totally going to prove Roman wrong. Something inside of him feels like he has to. He’s dead set on proving Roman wrong. He had nearly burned his grilled cheese just by thinking about it. He was in deep again. There’s be relief when Roman admits he’s wrong. 

The rest of the day seemed to pass by without incident. He was trying to get proving Roman off of his mind. He had gone for a run, showered, even tried to take a nap. Still proving Roman wrong was on his mind. It didn’t need to be, he had already done everything he needed to for it. There was nothing left to do but wait. Dean was awful at waiting. He was laying on his couch tossing a ball in the air and catching it. It was a distraction and a good one. It was one he went back to time and time again. It always worked. Keeping the ball from smacking him in the face was a good way to keep his attention off of things. It was something he’d been advised to try by the guidance counselor in middle school. 

Time dwindled away slowly and after what felt like forever it was time to head to work. Dean had already put on his work clothes after his shower from earlier so he was good to go. Just had to get in the car and drive. So he did. He dragged himself out of the house and into the car. He only had to turn the key twice this time. Lucky day. He double checked all of his paperwork was still in the glove compartment. It was and he was off on his way. Again his laser focus got the best of him as he sped all of the way to work. Luckily the streets were dead around here at this time of night. Back home the town would’ve been alive, but not here. Things were never as busy here. 

When Dean pulled into the parking lot he once again noticed it was empty aside from Roman’s car. He parked, grabbed the paperwork, and headed inside. When Dean got inside Roman was sitting in a booth with everything set up on the table, coffee beside him. Dean dropped the stack of papers behind Roman’s laptop and went to the back to clock in. When Dean came back Roman’s eyes were on him and the laptop had been move. 

“What’s this?” Roman asked as Dean took a seat across the booth. 

“Well first is a few articles about how the pot couldn’t have just falling off. Then there’s some ghost evidence in there. Y’know, because they’re real,” Dean explained.

“You,” Roman started, “are adorable.”

“I,” Dean responded, “am proving you wrong. Read through and tell me you’re not convinced.” 

Roman looked at the papers then back at Dean, “You serious?”

“Dead.”

“Okay,” Roman laughed. 

So Roman did. He read them carefully while Dean watched. Dean never took his eyes off of Roman. Every now and again Roman would look up and shake his head at Dean. Dean would just chew on his bottom lip and continued watching. Roman didn’t take very long. Soon enough he was sliding the stack back over towards Dean. 

“Still don’t believe in ghosts,” Roman stated. 

Dean scoffed, “How can I convince you?”

“Why do you care so much?” Roman asked, genuine curiosity in his tone.

“I don’t know man,” Dean shrugged, “It’s always been my dream to film a documentary proving shits real so I guess if I can convince you maybe I can achieve that dream.”

“What would you do?” Roman asked. 

Dean blinked and furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side. 

“For the documentary I mean,” Roman clarified. 

“Oh,” Dean sat up a little bit straighter, “Um, so like, it’d be like. Exploring abandoned buildings, use a ouija board, play one of those ritual games, stuff like that. Maybe check out a ghost town.”

“That sounds awesome,” Roman admitted. 

“You could come along and the plot could be trying to prove you wrong,” Dean joked. 

“Yeah maybe,” Roman smiled.

Dean smiled back for a second before standing up out of the booth, “I’m gonna get some coffee. You need any more?”

Roman just nodded and Dean grabbed his mug and the empty mug off of the table and took them up to the counter. While Dean was up at the counter Roman focused his attention back to his work. Meanwhile Dean filled up both mugs then got to work brewing a knew pot of coffee. Every now and again Dean would look over and sneak a glance at Roman. He was just nice to look at. Dean definitely didn’t have any sort of crush forming. Of course not that would be ridiculous. You didn’t need to have a crush to acknowledge how attractive your coworker is right? No you didn’t. Dean could answer that question easy. You didn’t.

Dean grabbed both mugs and walked slowly back over to the booth. Placing the mugs down he sat back in his seat across from Roman. For a minute Roman didn’t seem to notice that Dean had come back. When he did he thanked Dean and poured a packet of sugar into his drink before taking a sip. Dean of course put more like five packets of sugar into his coffee and some creamer as well. Dean wasn’t actually sure how Roman didn’t burn his tongue. Finally Dean took a sip of his own coffee as he watched Roman work. He continued to watch Roman work until he got bored again.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dean broke the silence. 

“What’s that?” Roman looked away from his work and back at Dean.

Dean took another sip before speaking, “What’s your major?”

Roman offered a smile before he responded, “Criminal psychology.”

“That sounds fun,” Dean noted. 

“It’s an interesting topic but the works a pain in the ass,” Roman admitted, “You go to school?”

Dean shrugged, “Went to high school. School’s not really my scene.”

“Fair enough,” Roman shrugged as well.

After that Roman got back to work. Occasionally Dean would stop Roman to ask him questions about his major and what it meant. Dean was sure he was being annoying, but he couldn’t help it. Roman didn’t seem to mind anyhow. He would answer any question Dean had. A few times Dean had gotten up to refill their mugs and brew some more coffee as well. For the first time in a long time Dean was having a bit of fun. Like all fun things it went by far too fast. They didn’t have any customers tonight, but when they were packing up to leave there was a familiar crashing from the kitchen.

“See! Ghost!” Dean nearly yelled it.

“Gravity,” Roman called back as he headed into the kitchen. 

Dean followed behind only to see the same pot on the ground. Roman just shook his head and put it back. When Roman turned around again Dean was wearing a smug grin on his face. Roman just messed Dean’s hair up with his hand as he walked by him back out into the dining area. Again Dean followed. All through lock up and even on the way to their cars Dean was going off about how it was clearly a ghost. Roman just listened the whole way before giving him a ‘goodnight Dean’ and taking off. 

The whole way home Dean couldn’t stop thinking about the night. He had only a week prior been deadset on having no attachments here and in comes Roman. A friend. Maybe more if he got lucky. This was the last thing he wanted but it felt so good right now he didn’t care. It’s not like Roman actually lived there. Roman would move back eventually even if Dean did stay. So he wasn’t going to far back on his promise to himself. They were both moving objects, getting attached didn’t really hurt anything in the grand scheme of things. They were both leaving eventually. Might as well have fun while they’re here. It was then that Dean realized he meant what he said about Roman going with him.


	3. If You're Serious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> road trip loading...

The more time passed the more Dean realized he was serious about taking Roman along with him for the documentary. Hell Dean had never wanted to film it so bad. The more time Dean spent with Roman the more he realized how much he actually enjoyed Roman’s company. He was kind and patient. God was he patient. Dean knew he could be a bit much sometimes, but Roman never let that show. It was almost as if he didn’t actually mind having Dean around. That would be a first. Everyone got sick of Dean eventually. Dean was going to soak up every second of Roman not being sick of him. Maybe in the end he’d be able to convince Roman to take off with him for the documentary of course. Not for Dean. Hell Roman could even film it for him. He’d planned on doing it himself but it might work to have someone else there to hold it for him as well. As a team they could do so much more.

Involving Roman in his future plans was a slippery slope though. If he got caught up in Roman he’d only be devastated when Roman leaves him all alone. Eventually Roman would. Everybody else did. On the other hand maybe Roman was different. Maybe. Unlikely. People generally were the same. Roman could be different though. There was always that option. Hopefully Roman would leave for home before he grew to hate Dean. Or Dean would leave for wherever he was going. That was always an option too. 

Still some part of Dean wanted Roman to come with him on his journey. At least for the documentary part of it. There was just something about Roman. He was one of those people that you meet and instantly feel like you’ve known them forever. At least for Dean he was. Like they had always been meant to know each other. Some weird sort of universe bullshit. Roman probably didn’t believe in that either. Dean would have to ask him about that. He’d file that away for another time. For now he’d have to start with trying to get Roman to come along with him. That was priority number one. 

They were on together again Saturday night. Until then Dean would just go on business as usual. He’d gather information on ouija boards and different games like that along with some places to do them. He’d also go on long runs and play catch with himself on the couch. All of the normal stuff that kept him busy he did. He tried not to spend too much time thinking about Roman but the man was all that was on his mind. As Saturday inched closer Dean found it harder to control his thoughts. Proving ghosts were real was back in the forefront of Dean’s mind. He hadn’t felt so sure in his dream since early high school. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Roman aws lifting him up instead of tearing him down for it. Roman didn’t even believe in this stuff but he believed in Dean. Maybe Roman was different. 

Saturday couldn’t have come soon enough. Dean was just excited to see Roman again. Roman was the only friend Dean had had in a long time. Perhaps he was lonely and that’s why he was clinging to Roman so hard. That was the most logical answer. Dean had placed too much value on Roman and Roman surely wouldn’t be able to live up to the hype Dean had created for him. Right? Surely no one was that great of a person. Roman wasn’t perfect. No one was and Dean wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to find the imperfections yet. There it was. The thought that was going to keep Dean from asking Roman to go. What if Roman isn’t perfect? Then what? Only a perfect person would be able to tolerate Dean for that long. Maybe even a perfect person couldn’t do that. 

Forty minutes until work. That’s how long Dean had. He decided on a shower to kill the time. At least 15 minutes of the time. Dean wasn’t sure what it was but he had been showering more often as of late. Maybe it was a subconscious need to please Roman. Maybe he just decided he was a little too old to only be showering once a week. Especially with the amount of running he’d been doing. It cleared his head so he kept it up, but keeping it up meant he was sweat soaked when he got home and then he’d have to shower.

He stood in the shower and sudsed up his hair. He had 15 minutes to let the warmth engulf him. This was the closest he’d gotten to a hug of any kind in years. A goddamn shower. When he got out the water was ice cold and he was shivering again. He couldn’t help it. There was just something about staring blankly at a shower wall that was therapeutic. Who needed therapy when you had shower walls to look at and pillows to scream into and punch when needed. Not Dean. That was for damn sure. 

Getting dressed was a quick task that he dragged his feet through. He wanted to go into work tonight, but for some reason he was struggling to do anything but drag ass. Didn’t matter anyhow. He’d get there on time, all he had to do was drive himself there. The whole drive he was zoned out. He once again found himself grateful that the town was already asleep at this hour. When Dean got to the diner Roman was sitting in the booth again. So again Dean clocked in befoe sitting himself down in front of Roman. 

“Dean can I ask you a question?” Roman asked after a moment. 

“Shoot.” 

“Were you serious about going on that trip with you?” Roman asked, hesitation clear.

The question had caught Dean off guard. Dean had already crossed asking Roman to go off his list. He never thought that Roman would ever even want to go with Dean. Maybe this meant that Roman liked him back. As a friend of course. There was no way someone like Roman was into Dean. There was just absolutely no way. That was a given. Dean couldn’t believe it. Did Roman actually want to go with him? 

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, “If you want to come I’d love some company.”

Roman nodded in understanding, “We can go this summer. Usually I’d go home, but we could save up. Take a road trip?”

“I’d love to,” Dean relaxed into his seat, “You wouldn’t mind missing your family?”

“I can see them any time. Helping you follow your dreams is once in a lifetime,” Roman admitted.

Dean couldn’t help but to smile, “Why?”

Roman shook his head, “I don’t know, just feels like I’m supposed to.”

Dean ran a hand through his hair, “Then it’s settled. We’re leaving this summer. More coffee?” 

Roman just nodded. Dean grabbed both the empty mug and Roman’s mug and headed up to the counter. Did that just happen? Did Roman just offer to go on a road trip with him? On top of that a road trip to fulfill Dean’s dreams. That couldn’t be possible. Maybe Roman was perfect after all. Or maybe he was just a really nice guy. Dean would choose to believe that Roman was perfect. Even if he wasn’t he was. Dean was sure of that much. Dean took the pot of coffee and filled up both of their mugs. 

When he brought them back he set one in front of Roman and kept the other one in his hand. Immediately Dean went for the packets of sugar. Roman let out a soft laugh as he watched him. Roman went in for his usual one packet while Dean poured in creamer. They both took their first sip and again Dean was amazed Roman didn’t burn his tongue. Dean stayed quiet for a bit and let Roman focus on his work, but it was only a matter of time until Dean interrupted again. Roman didn’t seem to mind the distraction so much so Dean kept it up. Dean was generally quiet but he could talk your ear off all day if you got to know him. 

There was just something about Roman that invited Dean to feel comfortable in talking constantly. He jumped from topic to topic and Roman never seemed to fall off track. Most of all he listened. No one had ever done that for Dean. Just sit and listen to him ramble. It felt nice. Most of the conversation topic centered around Dean’s plans for the documentary. Dean had a lot of them. They went over which ones were the most plausible and tried to get a good idea of what exactly they would need for all of it. Dean didn’t ease into things, he fell head first. So it was nice to have a voice of reason with him. 

Not only was Dean rattling off ideas but Roman came with a few of his own as well. That sort of made Dean’s heart soar. Roman had clearly put some time and thought into it. This wasn’t something that Roman was just going along with this was something that Roman wanted to participate in. That was something Dean had a kind of hard time wrapping his head around. They still didn’t really know each other, but it was like they had known each other forever. 

The shift passed by far too fast. Roman ruffled Dean’s hair again on the way out into the parking lot. The drive home Dean was still buzzing with excited energy. There was no way he was getting to sleep tonight. Or this morning? Either way he wasn’t getting any sleep. He was too awake. He’d probably have to go on a morning run to tire himself out. They were going. They were really going. This had been Dean’s dream since he was 11 and there was someone who actually wanted to help him with it. It was almost too good to be true. He was trying not to get too ahead of himself. There was still months to go. Roman could easily change his mind. Something inside of Dean told him he won’t though. Dean had a feeling that Roman was as serious about it as Dean was. It was just this inescapable feeling. A feeling that was like butterflies in his stomach. He didn’t even know Roman’s last name and they had already agreed on taking off together. That was either incredibly sweet or incredibly stupid. Dean didn’t care either way. He had his mind set on it now. 

When Dean pulled into his driveway he just kind of sat in his car for a little while. He took some deep breaths and tried to decompress some of the energy he felt. He really couldn’t afford to miss any sleep. So when he got inside he changed into some running clothes and headed out. When he took off running it had still been dark out, but by the time he got back the sun was in the middle of rising. After a glass of water Dean shed his clothes and hopped into the shower. At the moment he was absolutely coated in sweat. 

The shower water was hot again and would be for another 15 minutes. He went straight for washing off his body. At first he had only planned on rinsing off. That was before he had the chance to smell himself. He did leave his hair at a rinse though, having already washed it earlier. When he climbed into bed the sun was up and he was sufficiently done for. He was out the second his head hit the pillow. It was a long nights sleep that morning. Like he assumed he would, he passed out from sheer exhaustion. However when he woke up it was with a smile on his face. For the first time in his life the future was promising. His future was promising. Something he never thought possible without Roman.


	4. Road Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here have an extra chapter because i'm too impatient to wait! finally had a breakthrough and finished chapter 18 and started on 19! also happy cage fighter day!! enjoy!  
> and a trigger warning for a minor suicide mention!

The rest of the spring passed by without incident. Dean and Roman worked a lot of shifts together from that point on. Dean had finally learned Roman’s full name. Roman Reigns. It fit him. Most of their shifts were just them talking for hours about, well everything really. Turned out Roman didn’t have all that many close friends. He said he just couldn’t find the time. Dean knew that feeling. There was always time if you were willing to make it though. Roman chose to make time for Dean during work. Roman easily could’ve just done his work instead, but he chose to listen to Dean. That didn’t just fly over Dean’s head. 

Saving up wasn’t too hard. No one really liked working the night shift which left it free for Roman and Dean to take. Dean even picked up a few afternoon shifts here and there. It wasn’t like Dean wasn’t saving up already. He was always saving up. That was the only real way to be able to just get up and disappear one day. Except this time he was disappearing. He was going on a road trip with a friend. That was the last thing Dean ever expected when he drifted into town. They were just a couple of outsiders trying to make a dream come true. 

Roman’s schooling had gone well as well. Though his original plans of getting work done on the night shift had been foiled he had been happy to compromise. Instead he would work when he got home or after a quick nap. He lost some sleep but it was worth it for the way Dean’s face lit up when you got him going on a topic he cared about. He had passed all of his classes so he didn’t really lose anything that could hurt him in the long run. All he had left was one more year then he’d have his degree. A break for a road trip was just what he needed. 

Summer arrived at a speed that caught both of the boys by surprise. Soon enough and they had to pack up some of their stuff into a couple of duffle bags. They had opted for using Roman’s car as it was a lot nicer and less prone to needing repairs. The last thing they needed was the car falling apart on them in the middle of nowhere. That would really put a damper on things. Roman had already packed and loaded his stuff. He was currently at Dean’s to pick him up and make sure Dean had everything. Like usual Dean packed last minute. Last minute meaning with Roman there. 

“Keeping you in check is going to be like having a child,” Roman teased as he watched Dean pack. 

“I’m not that bad,” Dean insisted. 

“You’re like an overgrown toddler. It’s not your coffee that perks you up it’s all of the sugar on it. That’s all you are. A toddler on a sugar rush,” Roman continued to tease. 

Dean shrugged, “Well you are the psychology student. You would know how to analyse me.”

The idea of that actually scared him. Roman could psychoanalyse him if he wanted to. He’s probably got his issues written all over him. The last thing he needed on this trip was to be stuck with Roman trying to pry into his trauma. Some things were better left unsaid. That was really one of the only things that could ruin this for Dean. If Roman started prying because if Roman started prying Dean would go into a defensive mode and just deflect. He’d deflect and inflict as much verbal damage as he possibly could. Words were like knives and Dean learned how to throw them when he was young. 

“I’ve got no problem being your toddler,” Dean added for good measure.

“Good,” Roman laughed, “Because that’s what you are.” 

Dean just smiled at him dimples and all before sticking his tongue out at Roman. The action earned a laugh from Roman. Dean zipped up his duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“Ready,” Dean stated. 

“Let’s get a move on then,” Roman gestured at the door.

Dean saluted as he passed by Roman out the door. Roman shook his head and followed as Dean made his way to the car. After Roman popped the trunk Dean tossed in his bag and shut it back up, pushing down on it once to check that it was really shut. Roman watched Dean as he leaned on the drivers side door. When Dean was done with the trunk he walked over to Roman again.

“You know 100% that you have everything,” Roman checked for what felt like the thousandth time.

Dean rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “Yes I have everything. Can we go now?”

Roman ruffled Dean’s hair, “Get in.”

Dean did what he was told. He walked around the front of the car and to the passenger side door. Meanwhile Roman got in the drivers seat and started the car. He only had to turn the key in the ignition once for it to start. That was already a massive improvement in Dean’s eyes. Dean got in shortly after it started and buckled upon Roman’s request. It’d be a lie to say he didn’t roll his eyes at the instruction. Buckling wasn’t something Dean did out of habit. He never had to as a kid and that followed him into being an adult. Roman clearly hadn’t had the same childhood experience. Good for him.

“Before we go,” Roman started.

“Yes I have everything. C’mon lets go,” Dean pushed gently on Roman’s arm.

“Alright alright,” Roman switched gears and began driving out of the driveway and onto the road. 

They were off. Dean was messing around with the radio as they drove for the edge of town. They were heading west. Their first destination would be a two day trip. Dean watched out the window as the town that started it all passed by. By the time they were out of it Dean let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. They were on the road, still close enough to turn back but neither wanting to. It was happening. They were really on the road. They were really heading west. Just a few months prior they didn’t know each other. Now they were heading out of state to spend the whole summer together. All of the feeling that this was what they were supposed to be doing. 

The sun was high in the sky, which was almost offensively blue. It was hot outside. Hot enough that inside the car had been a sauna when they first got in. They had both windows down. Dean had insisted that it felt better than the airconditioning. That the fresh air was good and the wind would keep Roman focused. He was pretty sure Roman agreed to it just so he didn’t have to hear Dean going on about it anymore. Dean was leaned towards the window, head nearly out of it. At some point on the drive he’d probably end up sticking his head out just to see what Roman would do. He’d probably tell him off for it in that parental tone he took. 

By the time they made it out of the state they had the windows rolled back up. Dean had kept trying to start conversations and Roman just couldn’t hear him. Between the wind and the radio being so high up Dean couldn’t really blame him. So they rolled up their windows and turned the airconditioning on. The volume of the radio was dropped as soon as the windows were shut. Now when Dean talked Roman could hear him and respond. Dean only complained about it a little bit. He wasn’t really upset about it, he was just complaining for the sake of complaining about something. He did that sometimes. 

It was nearly one in the morning when they finally stopped at a motel. Dean had sat in the car while Roman went in to get a room. Dean just thrummed his fingers on his thighs while he waited. He looked out at the motel sign that was missing the o in the dark. The LEDs had clearly gone out at some point. There was only a light on in one of the motel rooms and then in main office. The place was almost deserted. Aside from their car there was only about three other vehicles. All of them were parked fairly close on the opposite side of the parking lot from where Dean sat. Parking lot meaning a singular strip of parking spaces behind a block of grass separating it from the highway. 

Dean perked up again when he saw Roman heading back to the car. Roman held up a key when he noticed Dean watching him. Dean leaned over and popped the trunk before shutting the car off and getting out. Roman met him around the the car at the trunk where Dean handed him his car keys. Each of them grabbed their own bag and headed to the room. When they got in there was only one singular bed. Dean stopped to look at it for a second before shrugging and placing his bag down on the bed. 

“They were one bed rooms,” Roman explained, “I can sleep on the floor if it bothers you.”

Dean shook his head, “Bed’s big enough. You wanna shower tonight or in the morning?”

“If you’re alright taking the morning shower,” Roman said. 

“Yeah that’s good,” Dean replied as he looked through his bag for pajamas. 

Roman readjusted his bag on his shoulder, “I’ll get to that then.”

As Roman passed by Dean on the way to the bathroom he ruffled Dean’s hair. Dean waved his hand at him lazily and continued to search. When Roman shut the door behind himself Dean pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a new t-shirt. Once Dean heard the water come on and Roman step in he unbuckled his belt and kicked off his jeans. He got his sweatpants on and swapped shirts before packing his dirty clothes back in the bag and setting it on the floor to the side.

There was a small tv sitting on the dresser across from the bed. Dean grabbed the remote and laid back on the bed. He chose to lay on the side closer to the door. That would be his side for the night. He turned the tv on and searched through the limited channels. He landed on a channel playing old movies before setting the remote down on the bedside table and getting underneath the blanket. Dean laid on his side facing the door as he watched the screen. He hadn’t realized how tire he was. They’d been traveling all day.

When Roman stepped out of the bathroom dressed in his pajamas he found Dean asleep on the bed and some movie playing in black and white. A small smile appeared on Roman’s face as he stood there watching. First Roman walked around to Dean’s side to grab the remote and turn off the tv. Next he pulled his phone charger out of his bag and plugged his phone in. When those tasks were done Roman crawled into bed beside Dean. It didn’t take Roman very long to fall asleep. He had the sounds of Dean’s soft snoring as white noise to help him drift off. Both of them were completely out now. 

They weren’t in any rush for the morning. It was less than a day’s drive to to the hotel they were going to be staying at. They had planned on getting breakfast when they got up and then they would be on their way. The hotel they were going to had a history of cult activity and overdoses. There had been a cult who committed a group suicide by way of overdose. It was said that the hotel was now haunted. The perfect destination one and they’d be there tomorrow.


	5. Destination One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> minor trigger warning they do discuss elisa lamb in this chapter in case anyone's sensitive to that. the documentary has officially started filming! enjoy!!

Waking up was hard. It was one of Dean’s least favorite things to do. He didn't get much sleep in daily life, so he clung to the bits he got. Then there was Roman. Shaking him awake. The first couple of shakes were met with a groan. The next couple were met with a ‘fuck off’. The last couple were met with swatting hands. After that the shaking stopped for a second. That was when he felt the blanket get tugged off of him. Dean tried to regain the heat just lost. That’s when he heard a small laugh come from above him. 

“Shut up,” Dean mumbled, eyes still closed. 

Roman laughed again, “I take it you’re not a morning person?”

“No,” Dean grumbled out. 

“Well,” Roman sighed, “If you get up and shower now we could probably stop at a diner. There’s a local one down the street.”

“How do you know that?” Dean asked, eyes still closed.

“Guy at the front desk last night. C’mon get up,” Roman grabbed Dean by the arm and started to pull him up gently. 

Dean let himself be pulled but he offered no help. Roman pulled his limp body to a standing position. It was only then that Dean opened his eyes to glare at Roman. Roman offered him a smile before letting go of his arm. Dean stood there for a few seconds more. He reached his arms up towards the sky and got up on his tippy toes to stretch his body. There was a stretch in his muscles and a pop in his spine. When he felt more awake from the stretch he relaxed his body again and headed for his duffel bag. He picked it up with both hands before sending another glare over in Roman’s direction. 

“Gonna shower,” Dean mumbled as he passed by Roman to the shower. 

When he got in the bathroom he shut the door behind himself. The bathroom wasn’t very big, but it was big enough for him to be able to set down his bag and grab stuff out of it. He grabbed his shower stuff before he stripped out of his clothes. Gently he placed the soap in the shower before stepping in and closing the curtain behind himself. He braced himself before turning the water on hot and waiting for it to spray out. Like at home the spray was cold at first. Slowly but surely the water started to heat up. 

Once the water was warm Dean took a second to just stand there and soak it in. He turned around to let the hot water run down his back. The heat in the water helping to relieve some of the tension in his body. Sitting in the car for a whole day had really tightened up his back. Then sleeping on a shitty mattress all night didn’t help either. It didn’t matter now as Dean’s body relaxed in the water. After a minute of standing there with his eyes shut he opened them and grabbed the shampoo. He poured some into his hand and began to lather it into his hair. He scrubbed away any grease from the previous few days and rinsed it out down the drain. Next he moved onto scrubbing away the dirt and dried sweat on his body with some body wash. 

The water was still hot when he got out. That felt nice. He shut the water off and blotted off his skin. When he was damp instead of soaked he rubbed his hair off with the towel, setting the towel down when he was done. He unzipped his bag and pull out some knew clothes. He started with his underwear and socks before pulling on a torn up pair of jeans. He unlooped his belt from yesterday’s jeans and redid it through the pair he was currently wearing. The shirt came next. He pulled out a t-shirt that was too big for him and a flannel to wear over top. If it got too hot he could always just wrap the flannel around his waist. After he finished dressing he packed up his old clothes and zipped the bag shut. When Dean stepped out of the bathroom Roman was sitting on the bed dressed for the day and watching the tv like Dean had the night before.

“Ready?” Dean asked, slugging the bag over his shoulder. 

Roman turned off the tv and got off the bed, “Yep. You got everything? I packed up while you were in the shower.” 

“Yes I have everything,” Dean rolled his eyes, “I hope you weren’t lying about the diner. I’m hungry.” 

Roman picked up his bag as well and headed for the door, “Wasn’t on my part. We’ll find out about on his though.” 

Dean followed behind Roman as they both made their way to Roman’s car. They popped the trunk and tossed their bags in. After that Roman handed Dean the key and told him to start the car. Roman started heading towards the main office to check out as Dean slid into the passenger seat. Dean watched Roman disappear into the building before sliding the key into the ignition and turning it. With the car started Dean rolled down his window and turned the radio up. It was just on a generic rock station from the night before. Dean didn’t bother playing with it to much. Opting instead to just sit and listen to it. When Roman was reemerged Dean turned the radio down a bit and waited. Dean smiled at him when he got close enough and Roman did the same. 

“There is a diner,” Roman said as he got into the drivers seat. 

“Thank fuck,” Dean replied.

Roman nodded in agreement and put the car into drive. They pulled out of the parking lot and back out onto the highway. Roman got off on the exit he was instructed to and after a little ways they finally spotted the earlier mentioned diner. As if on cue Dean heard his stomach growl. It was barely audible over the sound of the wind blowing in through Dean’s still open window. When they pulled into the parking lot of the diner they noticed that it was mostly full. Inside they could see some empty tables and parked the car. They got out and headed inside. After the front door sat a ‘please seat yourself’ sign. The two picked a booth and sat at it. Soon enough the waitress was at their table and pouring them some coffee. When she disappeared again is when the conversation sparked back up.

“So what’re we going to do when we get to the hotel?” Roman asked. 

“Well that depends on what time we get there,” Dean said as he poured his usual five packets of sugar into his coffee. 

Roman added one packet to his own coffee as he asked his next question, “What’s on the agenda?” 

“Well investigate obviously,” Dean took a sip of his coffee, “And play the elevator game because it’s the only building we’ll be staying in with more than ten stories.” 

Roman furrowed his brow, “What’s the elevator game?”

Dean’s eyes lit up, “It’s a game, or a ritual kinda. You need a building at least ten stories high and an elevator. You press like a bunch of buttons in a certain order and end up in another world. Some people think that’s how Elisa Lam died.”

“Who?”

“You don’t know who Elisa Lam is?” Dean asked, a bit of shock in his voice.

Roman shook his head. 

“Okay so,” Dean leaned forward in his seat, “Elisa Lam was this chick that was found dead in the water tank at a hotel. Nobody had any idea how she got in there or who killed her. All they had is some weird security footage of her on the elevator. Couldn’t have been suicide she’s too small to open the water tank on her own even if she found her way on the roof somehow. Plus I think she was already dead when she got in. They only found out she was in there after her blood ran through peoples showers and stuff.”

“Jesus,” Roman breathed. 

“Yeah so people think she was playing this game right. Also you’re a criminal psychology major aren’t you supposed to know true crime stuff?” Dean crossed his arms. 

“More into serial killers to be honest,” Roman admitted, “Hey wait you’re trying to play a game that might’ve killed a girl and landed her in a water tank?”

“Yup,” Dean uncrossed his arms and took a sip of his coffee. 

Roman shook his head, “You have a deathwish.” 

“Hey if I go down proving the existence of the supernatural than so be it,” another sip, “I’ll have proved you wrong at the very least.”

“Yeah well you’re not going down on my watch,” Roman said as the waitress arrived with their food.

Dean smiled to himself though he tried to hide it. If Roman was going to watch out for him he could get used to that. He could get used to that maybe a little too easily. They ate in silence at first. Soon enough an easier conversation washed over them. It wasn’t hard to lighten up the conversation. It never was between the two of them. They spent longer at the diner than they had originally intended but they were so wrapped up in conversation. They were just enjoying each others company like two life long friends. It was amazing that they had only known each other for a few months. Felt like forever on that first night.

After they were done eating they paid and left. They needed gas so they drove around until they found a station. While Roman was getting gas Dean decided he needed his camera. So Dean popped the trunk and dug through his stuff until he found it. When he did he shut the trunk back up and sat down back in the passenger seat. Dean fidgeted with it for a couple of minutes before deciding to test it out.

[filming…]

Dean had the camera pointed at the side mirror on his side. He could see himself filming in the mirror through the viewfinder.

“What’re you doing?” Roman laughed off camera as he noticed what Dean was doing. 

Dean turned the camera to show Roman who was pumping gas outside of Dean’s open window, “Testing it out. I can film you instead if you want.”

“I’m good,” Roman shook his head with a laugh. 

Dean turned the camera back to his reflection in the mirror. He waved at himself.

[end filming]

Dean had shut the camera off. He got what he wanted. Camera worked. He knew it would, just wanted to double check. Roman had finished pumping gas and sat down in the drivers seat. He didn’t start the car right away, instead he took a moment to take in the morning air. 

“Can I see it?” Roman held his hand out for the camera. 

Dean handed the camera over with a shrug. 

“How’s it work?” Roman asked as he fidgeted with it.

Dean pointed to a button, “That one turns it on and that one films.”

“This one?” Roman asked at he pressed the buttons. 

[filming…]

The camera shot quickly from the center console up to Dean. 

“What’re you doing?” Dean laughed. 

“You need an open don’t you?” Roman justified himself. 

Dean rolled his eyes, “I guess.”

“So what’re you going to do?”

Dean shook his head and looked out of the windshield, “I’m gonna prove the existence of the supernatural.”

Dean looked behind the camera, “Mostly I’m gonna prove it to you because ghosts are real. You just aren’t ready to admit it yet. Get ready to be proved wrong.” 

Roman’s laugh could be heard on the camera, “Okay ghost boy.”

[end filming]

“You happy?” Dean asked with a smile as he took his camera back.

Roman nodded, “Yeah I think that’ll be a great open.”

“You at the pump is gonna be the open,” Dean joked. 

Roman smiled and shook his head as he turned the car back on. They were back on the road. Just a few more hours and they could really begin.


	6. Elevator Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact! i meant to do this concept as a oneshot back when i wrote 11 miles over halloween but i never did and it ended up here instead! enjoy!

The ride to the hotel was a long one. They only stopped once on the way after the gas station. They talked the whole way. Never once did they turn on the radio. Never felt the need. Their voices filled the air. They’d call out different states on license plates, just stupid things like that. It was so easy. They were so easy. Dean couldn’t explain it. It was like they were always meant to be doing this. It was almost as if they had been placed together on purpose. Dean had planned on this for years. Never once did he plan on having company. Now that he had it he was glad he did. He couldn’t imagine making this trip without Roman. This was all just one big dream come true. Which in turn made Roman a dream come true. 

They arrived at the hotel just before midnight. The sky was alight with city lights. It was a stark contrast to the small town they lived in. It reminded Dean more of home. That thought in itself made him sick to his stomach. The last place he wanted to think of was home. Especially with life going as good as it was for him. So he didn’t spend to much time looking at the skyline as they pulled into the parking lot of the large building. Unlike the motel this was an actual parking lot with numerous spaces. They parked as close as they could before getting out. 

Roman popped the trunk as Dean was walking around to it. Dean grabbed his own duffel bag first, slinging it over his should. He handed Roman his bag while Roman handed Dean his camera. Dean shut the trunk, pushing down on it once to make sure it was shut. After that they were headed inside. They were parked fairly far away. It was more of a walk than they would’ve liked, but not too far. There were no cricket sounds out here. Out here was just the sound of cars driving in the distance. There was a nightlife here. A nightlife they were skipping to play a game and hunt for ghosts. Dean wouldn’t have it any other way. 

They checked in and made their way upstairs. While in the elevator Dean sent a wink Roman’s way. Roman shook his head which caused a small laugh to escape Dean. When they made it to their floor Dean was the first to get out. Roman followed close behind. Dean lead the way and again Roman followed. They were on the second floor, a little ways down. When Dean got there he had to wait for Roman to catch up with the keycard. When Roman caught up he unlocked the door and let Dean in first. The first thing Dean did was drop his bag on the bed closest to the door. 

“Whole hotel seems to be asleep,” Roman pointed out as he placed his bag down on the empty bed. 

“Yeah,” Dean agreed, “I think we should probably do the elevator stuff first while it’s empty. People might come back in the early morning while we’re investigating. Can’t have interruptions for the elevator game though.”

“Fine but I’m doing it with you,” Roman stated matter of factly. 

“I already told you it’s one player,” Dean tried to explain.

Roman wasn’t going to back down, “You’re not doing it alone. Not after what you said about that girl.” 

“Fine,” Dean agreed, “But when it doesn’t work it’s because we played it wrong and not because it doesn’t work.”

“Whatever you say ghost boy,” Roman said, hint of sarcasm on his tongue. 

Dean rolled his eyes, “We have to get in on the ground floor. So we’ll take the stairs down.” 

Roman nodded, “Here I’ll hold the camera.” 

Dean picked the camera up off the bed and handed it off to Roman. Roman ruffled Dean’s hair before taking the camera and heading for the door. Dean followed close behind. When Roman opened the door he held it open for Dean and let him lead the way. By the time they reached the stairs Roman already had the camera running. 

[filming…]

The camera was on Dean. Filming him ass he made his way down the stairs.

“You gonna tell them what we’re doing?” Roman’s voice could be heard from behind the camera

“Are you filming,” Dean asked as he turned around to check, “We are playing the elevator game.”

“And why are we on the stairs?” Roman questioned further. 

Dean turned to look at Roman behind the camera, smile still on his face, “Because we have to get in on the ground floor. It’s only supposed to be one person but Roman thinks it’s too dangerous for me to do alone. So when it doesn’t work that’s why.”

[end filming] 

Roman shut the camera off for the rest of the walk down. It wasn’t far, they were only on the second floor after all. Roman just didn’t want to film anything that wasn’t necessary. Them walking was in no way necessary footage. So Roman turned it off until they were in the elevator. Dean stepped in first and Roman followed. Before pressing any buttons Roman turned the camera back on and placed it on the ground in the corner. 

[filming…]

The camera was low, but angled up towards the two boys so they could be seen along with the elevator buttons. 

“How do you know what buttons to press?” Roman asked as he stood behind Dean.

“Got the rules memorized,” Dean responded.

Dean presses the button to the fourth floor. Slowly the elevator doors shut and the elevator begins to ascend. The sounds can be heard loud and clear on the camera. The ride up is uneventful as the boys don’t talk to each other. They just stay quiet. Dean keeps his eyes on the elevator buttons while Roman moves to lean on the elevator wall. Roman is watching Dean with an affectionate look on his face. 

When the elevator doors open on the fourth floor they boys stay put. Instead Dean presses the button to the second floor. The elevator doors shut again with a clang and the elevator noises start up again. Roman checks his phone. Dean looks back at him to offer a smile as the elevator drops floor levels. When they reached the second floor the doors opened up once again. And again neither boy moved. Dean just reached out and pressed the button for the sixth floor. 

“Well this is fun,” Roman said with noticeable sarcasm in his voice.

“Shut up!” Dean whisper yelled. 

When they reached the sixth floor the doors opened again. Again neither got out. They remained in the elevator. Dean moved to press the button for the second floor. Again the elevator noise started up. They slowly made their way to the second floor. The elevator dinged at every floor they passed on the way down. Slowly but surely they made their way down. At one point Roman reached over to ruffle Dean’s hair. Dean only swatted absentmindedly at him. On the second floor the doors opened. Neither got out. Dean reached over and pressed the button for the tenth floor. 

On the tenth floor the doors opened again. Still neither got out. They stayed put. Dean huffed out a sigh and pressed the button for the fifth floor. The elevator noises started up. There was ding at every floor on the way down. There was a small glitch on screen but it went back to normal almost as quick as it had appeared. Dean started leaning against the wall again, back against the wall facing the camera. 

When they reached the fifth floor the doors opened. A young woman steps on the elevator. The only thing glitchy in the frame is her. He face keeps glitching out. Dean offers her a smile and Roman offers her a nod. Dean presses the button for the first floor. The lady makes no move to press a button for her own floor. Dean stands clear of the path anyway. When the doors shut the elevator starts moving upwards towards the tenth floor. Dean notices and presses the first floor button a few times before it starts heading back towards the ground. The lady doesn’t say anything. She just stands slightly in frame of the camera. When they reached the fifth floor again it started moving to the tenth again. Dean gave Roman a confused look and Roman just shrugged. They made their way slowly to the tenth floor. 

At the tenth floor the doors opened. The whole hallway was dark. The lights were off. Dean gave Roman a weird look and started pressing the first floor button repeatedly. 

[end filming]

Dean was slightly panicked as he pressed aggressively at the first floor button. He didn’t like this. The lights in the hallway shouldn’t be off. More so he didn’t like the lady that was in the elevator with them. Something about her was just so unsettling. He didn’t like the look of her. In fact he tried his best not to look at her. The whole feeling in the elevator was uncomfortable. Dean just kind of wanted to hide behind Roman. He was glad Roman insisted on coming now. Although he would never admit that outloud. He had too much pride for that. He was a grown man, he didn’t need protection. Having it felt nice though. 

Eventually the button worked and the elevator began to descend to the first floor. This time it didn’t shoot back up. Roman grabbed the camera while Dean stood by the doors. When they opened on the first floor Dean bolted out. Roman wasn’t far behind.

“Where are you going?” the lady called after them. 

Dean told Roman not to look back as he took him by the hand and lead him to the stairs. They nearly ran all of the way back up to the room. Roman let them in and Dean was gasping for air. He didn’t know when he started holding his breath but he was out of it now. Roman set the camera down on the bed and put a hand on the base of Dean’s neck and gave t a squeeze. 

“You good?” Roman asked, concern clear in his voice. 

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, “Just a little spooked. Chick was creepy.” 

“No kidding,” Roman agreed. 

Dean looked at the camera and noticed it wasn’t recording anymore, “Did you shut that off?”

Roman shook his head.

“Shit,” Dean ran a hand through his hair and sighed, “I’ll have to charge it for later.”

“You still want to go ghost hunting?” Roman asked in an almost accusatory tone. 

Dean nodded, “At the very least I want to do some in our room. We didn’t come here for nothing and I don’t know how long that was recording for.”

“Alright,” Roman agreed. 

Dean went tot his bag and started to unzip it. He rummaged around for a bit before he finally found the charger for his camera. They were going to have to transfer the video file to the laptop Dean had gotten for this exact reason along with a hard drive. Dean plugged the charger into the laptop, turning the laptop on after he did so. He logged in and started the charging process. He also started the file transfer process. 

When that was all set up Dean flopped down on the bed and just looked at the ceiling. Roman did the same on his own bed. Roman set an alarm so they could both take a quick nap while the files were transferring. Dean was out within seconds. Roman took a little longer, wanting to make sure Dean was really down for the count before allowing himself to get any sleep. When Dean’s soft snores could be heard Roman shut his eyes and let the sound sooth him to sleep. They had more investigating to do. For now though they would get some must needed rest in the form of a nap.


	7. Haunted Hotel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh it's that time where effie is sad and posting an extra chapter for validation :)  
> this one's based off the glam&gore halloween series where she went ghost hunting, in fact this whole fic was inspired by that and buzzfeed unsolved. highly recommend both! enjoy!

[filming…] 

The camera is turned to Dean laying on the bed on his side. 

“Interesting,” Roman comments from behind the camera. 

“What?” Dean mumbles. 

“Camera still works and like forty minutes of footage transferred. Seems like it caught most of the elevator footage,” Roman explains.

“Thank fuck,” Dean says. 

Dean turns onto his bed and looks up at the ceiling. A strange look crosses his face. 

“What?” Roman asks. 

Dean continues to look at the ceiling, “Is that blood?” 

“Where?”

“On the ceiling,” Dean sits up off the bed. 

Roman walks over with the camera and pans it up to the ceiling. The camera is pointed at the ceiling and slowly zooms in on a splotch of blood. 

“Is that blood? How did it get up there?” Roman asked as he looked up at it. 

“Only one way to find out,” Dean says. 

The camera zooms out and it focus back on Dean who’s headed into the bathroom. Dean re emerges from the bathroom with a damp hand towel in hand. The camera stays following Dean’s movements.

“What’s that for?” Roman asks.

Dean steps up onto the bed underneath the blood. His head nearly touches the ceiling. 

“I’m gonna wipe it up and see what it smells like,” Dean says.

“This is stupid,” Roman grumbles.

Dean reaches up with the damp cloth and wipes up some of the possible blood. He has to scrub a little bit. When he pulls his arm back down he brings it to his nose to smell. Dean makes a weird face and smells the cloth again. 

“What?” Roman asks. 

Dean steps off the bed and walks towards Roman, “Smell that.” 

Dean reaches behind the camera with the towel. 

“Smells metallic,” Roman comments. 

Dean moves his hand back in front of the camera, “Smells like blood.” 

“I, can’t argue that. I can’t believe there’s blood right there,” Roman says. 

“I’m gonna check the ceiling,” Dean says as he steps back up onto the bed. 

The camera stays on Dean. 

“You’re an idiot,” Roman mumbles as he films Dean. 

“Your idiot,” Dean laughs as he presses up on the ceiling tile. 

The ceiling tile pops up. Dean is looking up. After a little bit of looking he tries to put it back. 

“It’s not going back,” Dean laughs, “You can cut. And then help would be appreciated.”

[end filming]

Roman turned the camera off and set it on the nightstand before climbing up onto the bed and trying to help Dean put the ceiling tile back in place. The fidgeted with it for a little while before giving up and letting it lay wonky. Dean let out an annoyed sigh as he stepped off the bed and stared at the partially open ceiling. Roman wasn’t far behind with getting off the bed. He too took a moment too stare at the ceiling. Roman shook his head before ruffling Dean’s hair again. It was after that that Dean switched his gaze to Roman who he just shrugged at. 

“We should probably get started on our investigation. So we can get some sleep tonight,” Roman pointed out. 

“Yeah probably,” Dean agreed. 

Dean took a seat down on his bed. Roman was quick to take a seat beside him. It was two in the moring and they had just woken up from their naps. Dean felt more awake, full of energy. He hoped Roman did as well because they had more to be doing. After a few more seconds of sitting in silence Dean got up and walked to the other side of the bed. He put his bag back on the bed before unzipping it an rummaging through a little bit. He pulled out the dowsing rods he had bought earlier in the year for preparation. He tossed them down on the bed before re zipping his bag and dropping it to the ground again. Roman got up as well. Instead of getting anything out he grabbed the camera and started filming Dean.

[filming…] 

The camera was on Dean as he drops his bag to the ground. 

“Can you explain why we’re in this hotel specifically,” Roman’s voice could be heard from behind the camera.

Dean looks up to see Roman filming him. Dean smiles slightly before he speaks. 

“We are here because,” Dean takes a breath, “This hotel was the sight of a cult group suicide. Basically there was a cult that like lived in this hotel for the last month of their lives. Then they all took a bunch of pills and overdosed. It’s said the ghosts, of the children mostly, still haunt the building. The most commonly seen ghost is that of their leader. They say he really likes to mess with people and what not. Just terrorize guest. Hotel claims they’re not haunted but there’s been like a ton of articles written about it.” 

As Dean spoke the camera began to fog up. It was slow but it crept across the whole screen. Slowly it increased in opacity and then it was gone again as fast and as sudden as it came.

“And we’re gonna try and talk to him?” Roman asks as if to clarify.

“Yes which is why we have,” Dean reaches down and picks up the dowsing rods off the bed, “these.” 

“You’re such a dork,” Roman teases. 

“C’mon set the camera down on the desk and lets do it,” Dean says as he walks towards Roman’s bed for the night. 

The camera moves to Roman’s feet as he walks towards the desk that sits adjacent to Roman’s bed. The camera is set down on the desk facing the bed. Dean can be seen sitting on the end of the bed, legs dangling off. Roman steps into frame before sitting down beside Dean on the bed.

“The way it works is we ask them to establish a yes and a no and then we can ask questions from there,” Dean explains, “Simple enough?”

“Think so,” Roman says, eyes on Dean. 

Dean picks up the dowing rods and holds them straight out at an arms length away. They’re sticking straight out.

“Please establish a yes,” Dean says.

The rods stay open, not moving. 

“What does that mean?” Roman asks. 

“I guess that means open is a yes,” Dean shrugs and drops his arms. 

Dean brings his arms back out and the rods cross. He drops his arms again before extending them once again. And again the rods cross. 

“Huh,” Dean says, “I’m trying to do it the same way but it’s crossing now.”

Roman shrugs, “I guess that means crossed is a no.”

“Guess so,” Dean drops his arms before extending them again. This time the rods don’t cross, “Ask it a question.”

“Were you part of a cult?” Roman asks. 

The rods moved slightly towards each other but stay open. 

“Did you die in an overdose,” Dean asks. 

The rods pull towards each other but don’t close completely. They continued asking questions for a little while. Soon enough and they were finishing and shutting off the camera.

[end filming]

After asking some questions they had finished filming. They were tired and it was really getting time for them to head to bed. They had to be on the road again in the morning. It was already past three. Dean picked up his bag and placed it on the bed. He put the dowsing rods away and rummaged around for some pajamas to wear. Roman did the same with his bag. Dean was the first to change out of his clothes. He pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a different one. The pants came next. He unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants, changing into a pair of sweats after he did so. Across the room Roman had changed as well. Dean picked up his bag and moved it off the bed. When he went to get into bed Roman’s voice stopped him. 

“You’re not sleeping in that bed with the ceiling like that,” Roman declared. 

Dean thought about putting up a fight for a minute, “Fine.”

Dean left his bedside and walked over to Roman’s and climbed in. Dean climbed into the side that was closest to the door. He pulled back the cover and laid down on the sheets before covering himself up with the blanket. Dean was a little too wound up to fall asleep straight off. It was the elevator that was really spooked him. There was just something off putting about that lady that they’d seen. The rules said something about a lady getting on, but Dean had only memorized the bits about the numbers. He didn’t remember anything about her specifically, just that she’d be there. There was just something about the way that she looked that sent shivers down his spine. Her voice was still echoing in his ears. Why were the lights off at the tenth floor? He had a lot of questions. When did the camera cut out? 

Meanwhile Roman grabbed the camera and plugged it into the laptop that was plugged into the wall. It was easier to let the file transfer while they were asleep. It’s not like they’d be getting much anyway. They needed it though. They’d be on the road again driving for hours in just a short while. The more camera space they had the better. So Roman set it up to transfer the footage before turning the lights out. Dean could see him from the bed. He was watching him quietly. Roman slowly made his way to the light and turned it out. Afterwards he made his way to the side of the bed that Dean wasn’t on and he crawled in under the blanket. 

Dean wasn’t only caught up on the results of the game. He was also caught up on the way Roman was acting. There was nothing strange or wrong about it, it just sat weirdly with Dean. No one had ever cared so much about him. Roman was being so nice. Dean hadn’t had many friends through life, especially not quality ones. Was this just how friends acted? All protective and stuff. It’s not like sleeping in his own bed would cause any harm, but still Roman insisted that Dean sleep in his with him. It made Dean feel something warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe part of it was Dean having a crush on Roman and he was reading too much into it. Yeah that was it. These were normal friend actions and Dean was reading too far into it. There was no way Roman liked him back. No way in hell.

Roman had set an alarm for the morning. Nearly in the afternoon, but still technically morning. They both laid there in the dark, breathing and existing near each other. Something about having Roman in bed with him made Dean feel safe. He just couldn’t explain it. Like nothing could happen to him as long as Roman was there. Like Roman was his bodyguard in some sort of way. His protector. As much as Dean would argue he didn’t need protection at the end of the day maybe he did. It felt nice to feel safe for once. It was such a stark contrast to the way he’d felt up to this point. Even as a child Dean didn’t feel safe. Then in walked Roman and it was like the world couldn’t hurt him. Not with Roman around at least. 

Again Dean fell asleep first. Roman refused to sleep until Dean did. He wouldn’t tell Dean that though. Dean’s soft snores were lulling him to sleep. It was Dean cuddling up next to him that caught him of guard. Dean was still fast asleep. He had snuggled over subconsciously. Roman just let a smile sink into his features as he wrapped an arm around Dean. With Dean out cold cuddled up next to him Roman felt at peace. Like he could finally get some rest. Like protecting Dean was his job and he finished for the day. Hell maybe it was his job.


	8. Back on the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well happy pride month everyone! i know there's a lot going on the the world right now so i hop i can provide some escapism here on ao3! enjoy!

Dean had fallen asleep first. Falling asleep was hard for him though. His head had been filled with thoughts. The events of the whole night just kept playing over and over again in his head. Everything from the elevator to Roman insisting Dean slept in his be with him instead of in his own. There were question marks all over everything. Dean just hoped he was reading too much into everything. That didn’t change the confusion he felt though. What happened in the elevator? Why did Roman care so much about him? It was the second one that really had him guessing. There was an answer, but the only ones Dean could think of didn’t make any sense. Surely that’s just how friends are. There’s absolutely no way in Dean’s mind that Roman could like him. Really like him. As more than a friend. No way. Impossible. He’d just have to chase those thoughts out of his mind. There was no way and Dean just had to ask Roman why. Roman would tell him and it would be over. Then Dean could just keep him in mind as a friend. That’s all Roman was. A friend. So he needed to get to work killing that crush. 

It was the sounds of Roman’s alarm that drifted Dean out of sleep. He blinked awake, looking around for the phone to shut the alarm off. He noticed as he woke that he was pressed up against Roman’s side. Roman’s arm was around his waist. Dean resisted the urge to jerk out of the grip. He didn’t want to wake Roman and that most certainly would’ve. Instead he gently removed himself from Roman’s grip. Dean scooted away as soon as he was free. That was weird. Did Roman pull him over or did Dean scoot over on his own? He supposed it didn’t matter. He just hoped that Roman wouldn’t know about it when he woke. The idea of it made Dean blush a bit. When Dean saw Roman’s phone plugged in on the nightstand between the beds Dean reached over, hitting the snooze instead of the off button. He laid back down on his back away from Roman. 

The sun was up and shining through the curtains. The room had an orange glow to it. It was still dim, the curtains blocking most of the light coming in. There were slivers of brightness on the floor and the walls. Dean just looked up at the ceiling and breathed for a while. He shut his eyes for a moment before hearing Roman’s alarm going off again. Again Dean pressed snooze instead. How Roman wasn’t waking up to it he wasn’t sure. Roman must’ve gone out much harder than he did. Dean wasn’t sure. What Dean was sure of was that he needed a shower. So Dean peeled the blanket off of himself and crawled out of bed quietly. Waking Roman wasn’t the name of his game. Dean crept over to his bag and picked it up as quietly as he could. Dean had a lot of practice sneaking around as not to wake anybody up. He guessed that was coming in pretty handy right now. 

Dean took his bag and locked himself in the bathroom. He had shut the door as quietly as possible. It was then that he took a moment to breath. He had been holding his breath the whole time. Something about it made him feel quieter and lighter on his feet. His lungs didn’t like it as much as his brain did though. Dean unzipped his bag slowly and pulled out some clothes to change into for the day. He set them on the counter before shedding the ones he was already wearing. Once he was out of his clothes Dean went to step in the shower. He hesitated before deciding to turn the water on before he got in. He could do that here. It wasn’t waste of hot water. It wasn’t a waste of water in general. He could just stand outside of it and wait for it to get warm. The water could be comfortable through the whole shower. He could just wait. He’d never been able to do that before. 

So Dean reached in and turned on the water. He stood outside of the shower, hand reached under the water. He waited until the water was warm enough and then he stepped in. It felt nice. Like he was being eased into it instead of being shocked into it. The water helped him wake up slowly. Dean let the water hit his back and loosen any tight muscles from the night before. He hadn’t realized how tense he was but as he stood there he felt himself relax. He hadn’t brought any stuff in the shower to wash with, he was only planning on rinsing off and sweat from the night. The point wasn’t to clean anything but to have space to empty his mind. It was more to cleanse his thoughts than his body. 

Dean scrubbed the water through his hair, an attempt to get any dirt out. He rubbed the water along every inch of skin on his body before taking another moment to just stand under the water and relax. He shut his eyes and rolled his neck listening to it crack as he did so. When he opened his eyes back up he sighed and turned the water off. He pulled back the shower curtain and grabbed a towel to blot the water off of his skin with. He rubbed his hair with it before stepping out of the shower. He pulled on his underwear, then his jean that were torn at the knees. Next he pulled on a t-shirt before sliding on a zip up hoodie over it. The hoodie was the same deal as the flannel, if he got hot he could always tie it around his waist. He packed up his clothes from the night before and zipped his bag shut again. When Dean came out of the bathroom he noticed Roman was now awake.

“Look who’s finally up,” Dean joked as he set his bag down on the bed he was supposed to have slept on. 

“Alarm got me up,” Roman said, voice rough from sleep. 

Dean made a face, “Thought I turned that off.”

“You hit snooze,” Roman yawned before standing up off the bed. 

“Oh.” 

Roman grabbed his bag, “I’m gonna take a shower. We can figure out breakfast after that.” 

“I’ll check the footage,” Dean said as Roman passed by him.

All Dean got in response was a hum. Dean watched as Roman disappeared into the bathroom. When he had Dean moved to where the laptop was. The sound of water running caught Dean’s attention for a moment before he focused back on the device. He logged back in and opened up the footage from the elevator. He only needed to skim it. He clicked through it. There was a good chunk of footage. It must’ve died towards the end. When Dean got to the part where the lady got in he stopped and watched for a moment. Her face was glitching out. Only her face. He had seen her face so clearly in the elevator but the footage made it hard to make out any of her feature. Dean furrowed his brow as he watched. She was also staring right at the camera. That was weird Dean remembered her watching them while they were in the elevator. The footage didn’t make any sense. The camera had filmed all of the way to when he was frantically pushing the first floor button. You could even see the darkness of the hallway. It didn’t even go all black. It wasn’t like the footage just shut off. It had glitched out. Soon enough and Roman was re emerging from the shower. Dean turned to look at him before speaking.

“Hey it stopped recording at the end of the game,” Dean said, turning back and rewinding it a little ways. 

“At the end?” Roman asked as he moved to stand behind Dean. 

“Yeah, see. There’s the dark hallway. I’m pressing the button then bam. Glitches out,” Dean gives the play by play as it happens. 

“That’s weird,” Roman admitted. 

“And was that lady facing us or the camera in the elevator?” Dean asked.

“Us.”

“Not on the footage,” Dean says as he rewinds further. 

Roman sighed heavily, “And you wanted me to let you do that alone. You’re damn lucky I’m here to watch out for you.”

“Whatever,” Dean half laughed. 

Roman ruffled his hair before asking, “What you wanna do for breakfast.”

“Cigarette,” Dean stated simply. 

“Actual food and since when do you smoke?” Roman asked. 

“Since always. Just haven’t been on the trip yet, but I really need one it’s been days,” Dean explains. 

“Ah.”

“Hey how about we grab some coffee and a box of donuts when we stop to get gas then we can sit at a park somewhere in the open,” Dean suggested, “Kill two birds with one stone and what not.” 

“That’d be killing three birds, but yeah sounds good to me. We should probably get going then,” Roman moved to tie his hair up in a low bun. 

“Cool just need to pack this stuff up then we’re good to go,” Dean said. 

Roman nodded as Dean moved to gather up all of his documentary stuff. He carried it over to his bag and put it away. When he was done he gave a nod to Roman who picked up his own bag and headed for the door. Dean slung hid bag over his shoulder and followed Roman out. The two made their way down to the front desk to check out. Again they took the stairs, cautious of using that specific elevator again. While Roman checked out Dean stood by idly. When he was done they headed out to the car. Roman popped the trunk and Dean dropped his bag down in it. The camera was inside of it, they wouldn’t need it until later. While Roman put his own bag away Dean slid into the passenger seat and buckled. 

When Roman got in they headed off to the nearest gas station. While Roman pumped the gas Dean went inside and grabbed two coffees made to their usuals, a box of donuts, a pack of cigarettes, and a new lighter. Dean slid the cigs and lighter into his pocket before taking the donuts under one arm and the coffee in each hand. Roman was already in the drivers seat when Dean got in. Dean placed the coffee in the cup holders and set the donuts on the floor. When Dean was buckled Roman took off out of the parking lot. He already had a park set on his gps and started driving towards it. When they got there they got out and sat on the hood of the car. Dean had a cigarette lit as soon as he was out of the car. 

“What’s next on our agenda?” Roman asked as he took a sip of his coffee. 

Dean exhaled some smoke, “Train tracks. Apparently haunted. Lots of people go out with ouija boards and it’s said that a portal was opened on them after a ritual was done.”

“Fantastic,” Roman commented. 

“You know it,” Dean took a sip of his coffee. 

They sat there like that for a bit. It was quiet between them. Neither really knew what to say. Eventually Roman broke it with some casual conversation. At first Dean was more focused on his cigarette, but after a while he was more focused on Roman instead. He had just pulled Dean into conversation so easily. It was like they had always known each other. Dean kept getting that feeling around Roman. It made him glad he had wandered into that town in the first place. He could’ve easily not. Then he would’ve never met Roman. He would’ve never met Roman. What an awful thought that was.


	9. The Train Tracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's technically monday so i'm posting this!! glad you're all enjoying it thus far!!

Dean brought the cigarette up to his lips to take another drag. They had to get going soon. They were sitting on the hood of Roman’s car eating breakfast. They were heading west to a train track that was supposedly haunted. It was a drive that would last them the rest of the day. For now though they enjoyed the morning air and the sweetness of the donuts they had. Roman was drinking his coffee as Dean blew out one final bit of smoke. He dropped the cigarette on the ground and slid off the car just enough to smother the flame with his foot. He left it on the ground for the time being but he had no intent on leaving it there. Roman was watching him carefully. 

“What?” Dean asked. 

Roman set his coffee down, “How long have you been smoking those?”

“I think I was 11 when I smoked my first one,” Dean replied simply, “Why?”

“11?” Roman asked as if he had misheard him. 

“Yeah 11,” Dean said casually. 

“Where do you even get a cigarette at that age?” Roman asked.

Dean shrugged, “Same place you get beer. Steal from your parents.”

“Yeah but you were 11,” Roman emphasized. 

“So?” Dean asked, “Not like they noticed.”

That hung in the air for a bit. Not like they noticed. There was a lot behind that statement. Roman could tell. Dean just knew he could. He was a psychology major. How could he not pick up on it. It was right there in front of his face. Whether or not he pushed it further time would tell. He hoped it would just be one of those things that went unspoken One of those things that they both knew but didn’t acknowledge. It didn’t have to be real unless you acknowledged it. That’s how things were. If you didn’t acknowledge it it didn’t count. It wasn’t real unless you made it real. If Roman asked than it would be real again. 

Dean waited. Waited for Roman to press further. Dean got ready to snap like a caged animal and ruin everything. It was bound to happen eventually. Looked like it was ending sooner than he thought all because he opened his stupid mouth. All because he just needed to smoke a goddamn cigarette. He waited. It didn’t come though. Roman didn’t pry. Roman just let it hang there even longer. He picked his coffee back up and took a sip. Dean mimicked the action. Afterwards Dean picked up a donut and took a bite. Roman offered him a smile and Dean just laughed in return. How could he think things were going to end so soon. It was Roman he was with after all. Roman always knew just what to say and do. Roman always had everything right. He had to be perfect. There was no other explanation. How else could he feel this way about and around him. Like his whole world was brighter just because Roman was in it. 

This was new. This was all so new. Having someone else around all of the time. Dean was just paranoid. Paranoid that it’d all go south out of nowhere. He was sure just then that that was that. It wasn’t though. Instead it was something else. It was a moment of understanding. Understanding that there was more to it but that now wasn’t the time. In the end the fact that Roman wasn’t pushing either meant that Roman was just a really good guy or that he had already psychoanalysed Dean and found that pushing wouldn’t work. Probably both. 

“You know it’s bad for you right?” Roman asked, breaking the silence.

Dean rolled his eyes, “Yes captain obvious I know it’s bad for me.” 

“Just checking,” Roman said in his defense. 

“You know I’m not actually a toddler right?” Dean asked, half joking. 

In return Roman just shrugged, “Might be.”

Dean smiled wide, dimples on full display, “Okay.” 

Roman smiled too. They sat there on the hood of the car a bit longer. Neither wanted to go anywhere but both knew they had to. They couldn’t just live in this moment forever. No matter how much Dean wanted to. It just wasn’t possible. Time didn’t work like that. No matter how much Dean wished it did, time didn’t work like that. However he was going to soak up every second of it that he could. This had to be one of the best moments in his life despite being so mundane. He was sitting on the hood of a car with his only friend in the world drinking coffee. There was nothing lacking. Nothing he could ask for that would make this moment better. Well except for one thing. Dean decided it would be better if he had the opportunity to lean over and kiss Roman. That was off the table though. 

“We should probably get going,” Roman pointed out. 

“Yeah,” Dean agreed, “Probably.”

Roman was the first to hop off the hood. He collected his empty coffee cup along with Dean’s. Dean got off the hood shortly after, picking his cigarette up off of the ground. They both made their way to the trash cans nearby and dumped the stuff into the trash. On their way back Dean picked up the rest of the box of donuts off of the hood of the car. He set them down in the backseat after he had gotten in. While Dean was buckling Roman slid into the drivers seat. Roman put the key in the ignition and turned it. The car came to life and soon enough they were back on the road heading west. 

They needed to arrive at the tracks before sunset. That’s about when normal activity started. They couldn’t waste any more time because of it. Though they technically could. They only had to be there around sunset. Before was better, but after could work too. They planned before because then they could get some more sleep than they had the night before. That was the plan at least. To get some sleep when they got to the motel, hopefully before midnight. It all depended on where their investigation left them. 

The outside wold was starting to come alive as they drove on through. At one point Dean tried to put his feet on the dash only to have Roman tell him off in that parental tone for it. Dean had stuck his tongue out at Roman who grabbed onto it which made Dean made a noise in surprise. Roman laughed before letting go and putting both hands back on the wheel. Dean only pretended to pout for a little bit before giving in and laughing as well. 

They decided on hitting up the motel before heading to the train tracks. This way they could just come back and head to bed. Again it was another one bed motel. That wasn’t a problem. Dean had just slept in Roman’s bed when he didn’t have to. Even worse it had been at Roman’s request. It was unnecessary, but waking up in Roman’s arms had felt nice. He could only imagine getting to do it everyday. That was something he wished he could get off of his mind. Roman wouldn’t like him back. He needed to get over it. 

After the motel they headed to the tracks. They had dropped off their bags and took off with the camera. They got there just before the sun was scheduled to set. The tracks were on the edge of town. There was a road that ran right along it. On the other side of them was a parking lot and a forrest behind that. There was a small shed type thing with only three walls by the tracks. Roman took the camera from Dean and turned it on. 

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean who’s standing by the tracks.

“Explain why we’re here,” Roman says from behind the camera. 

Dean looks at Roman then at the tracks, “We are here because these tracks are haunted. People do a lot of rituals on these tracks and it’s said that there’s a ghost train that drives off the tracks then disappears. It’s also said in that shed thing,”

The camera pans to the shed then back to Dean.

“Someone pops up and disappears without a trace when you investigate,” Dean continues.

“Couldn’t that just be like a person?” Roman asks.

“You’d notice a person fleeing,” Dean points out. 

“I guess,” Roman agrees. 

“Gimme your phone,” Dean holds out his hand, “We can just start the investigation now.”

“Okay,” Roman hands the phone over to Dean unlocked. 

Dean takes the phone and opens the voice memos app. They’ll be using it instead of the dosing rods due to being outside. 

“There are cars going by but it’s unnervingly quiet,” Dean says. 

“I keep hearing like a little girl screaming in the distance,” Roman adds.

Dean nods, “Me too. Like there’s a kid out in the woods or something.” 

“I feel like we’re being watched or something,” Roman says abruptly. 

Dean’s eyes go wide and the camera pans quickly to the shed. There’s someone peaking over it. Roman hands the camera off to Dean. 

“Hold that,” Roman says. 

The camera pans to the ground then up at Roman approaching the shed. When he gets there he turns to Dean and shrugs. 

“No fucking way,” Dean mumbles from behind the camera. 

“Nobody,” Roman shrugs loosely. 

[end filming] 

Dean shut the camera off along with Roman’s phone. Roman comes back and takes each device from Dean who’s still looking over at the shed. What just happened? What was that? Was it a person or a ghost? There were so many questions. None of which had answers. Dean wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was however sure that that was probably enough footage for the night. 

“Wanna just head back to the motel?” Dean asked cautiously. 

“I think that’d be best,” Roman said, “Wanna pick up some alcohol on the way back? Drink a little. Have a little fun.” 

“It’s like you read my mind,” Dean said with relief evident in his voice. 

The two headed back to the car. Roman made Dean go ahead of him. Dean almost made a comment about Roman being his protector but decided on keeping his mouth shut instead. He walked up to where they had parked and pulled on the passenger side door until Roman unlocked it. When he did Dean slid into his seat and buckled. Roman wasn’t far behind in getting in the car. He handed Dean his camera before buckling as well. Roman put the key in the ignition and started the car. Before taking off Roman pulled up directions to the nearest liquor store. They headed in the direction of alcohol. When they got there Roman told Dean to wait in the car. Dean just huffed a ‘fine’ in response. The drive to the motel wasn’t too long after that. The two buildings were actually fairly close. Dean found himself grateful they already dropped their stuff off inside. 

When they got into the motel room Dean set down the camera and laid down on the bed, eyes on the ceiling. Roman set the bag of alcohol down before going through Dean’s stuff for the laptop and chords. Roman was the one to set up the camera to the laptop to transfer tonights footage while also transferring yesterdays onto the harddrive. Dean tried his best to not blatantly watch him as he did so. Instead Dean found himself excited for the fireball Roman had bought. He could really use a drink after the last few days. Between sitting in the car for long periods of time, all the weird stuff, and his feelings for Roman Dean needed a drink. He needed a drink real bad. Dean grabbed the tv remote and switched the thing on. He looked through a few channels before settling on one. When he did Roman finished what he was doing and grabbed the fireball. 

Roman held it out for Dean, “Let’s drink.”


	10. Drunk Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finally some fucking ambreigns

Dean took the fireball from Roman as it was handed to him. He unscrewed the lid and took a swig, cringing a little bit as he swallowed. The burn in his throat warmed his whole face. Afterwards he handed it to Roman who took a swig without cringing. Then Roman handed it back as he sat beside Dean on the bed. Dean took another swig, this time he didn’t cringe after. They passed it back and forth for a while. Dean to Roman and Roman to Dean. Slowly Dean could feel his body warming up more and more the more alcohol he consumed. It felt nice after a busy few days to just relax and drink. He hasn’t drank much since moving to that town. Drinking alone was just a little bit too depressing for him and up until a few months ago he didn’t have any friends. So he didn’t do a lot of drinking. 

It was a couple of hours later when they both really started to get into it. The bottle was almost gone now. Roman was laying down, propped up on his elbows that were bent behind him. Dean was laying on his side propped up on only one arm. They were talking, laughing, not at all paying attention to what was playing on the screen. Dean found himself looking more so at Roman. The way his smile lit up his whole face. The way his smile just made Dean want to kiss him. Immediately Dean tried to shoo that thought away. That was the last thing he needed right now. 

Dean focused his attention away from Roman’s lips and and onto the tv. He tried not to think about the way his heart sped up while looking at Roman. He’ll be fine in the morning, when he’s not drunk. When he has a clearer head to think with. Right now his thoughts are all foggy, he’s not thinking right. Kissing Roman won’t do him any good. He only wants to kiss him because he’s drunk. That’s all. He’s just drunk and horny. He could fight it. There was no need to lean over and kiss Roman like he wanted to. Instead Dean decided to just chance a look. When Dean turned his head to take a look he saw Roman already staring at him. Dean’s eyes went back to Roman’s lips as he licked his own. Slowly Dean leaned over and left a soft kiss on Roman’s lips. He let his lips hover there for a moment and when Roman didn’t shove him away he went in for a second kiss. 

This shouldn’t be happening. Surely Roman would shove him off this time. Why didn’t he shove Dean off the first time. There’s no way Roman liked him back. There’s no way Roman was letting Dean kiss him right now. Yet somehow he was. Roman brought one of his hands up and carded his fingers through Dean’s hair. As Roman leaned back down on the bed he brought Dean with him. Dean scooted over for a better angle before Roman wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him on top. Dean did his best to straddle Roman’s lap from the position he was in. Roman brought his other hand down to Dean’s waist. 

Dean’s head was moving a million miles a second. Roman’s lips felt so good against his own. Roman’s hand felt so nice on his hip. His breath tasted like cinnamon. Dean started to rub his hands against Roman’s chest and shoulders. Roman ran his hand down from Dean’s hair to his hip. Gently Roman squeezed Dean’s hips before rubbing along his sides. It all felt so intense. His mind was clouded except for what was happening in that exact moment. All there was was Roman’s body underneath his and the taste of cinnamon on both of their tongues. Dean decided to push the kiss a little further. Call it liquid courage. 

Dean started licking at Roman’s bottom lip until he opened his mouth enough for Dean to slide his tongue in. It was then that Roman slid his hands down to Dean’s ass and squeezed. Dean hummed into the kiss at that. Roman squeezed again and in return Dean grinded down his hips. He couldn’t believe this was happening. It was like reality was melting right before him. Of all of the things that had happened over the course of the past few days this was without a doubt the weirdest of them all. He was kissing Roman and Roman was kissing him back. It didn’t make any sense to Dean. How could this be happening? 

Eventually Dean decided to push it even further. Dean kissed the side of Roman’s mouth, then his jaw, then down his neck. He kissed all of Roman’s exposed skin before crawling backwards down the bed. Dean pushed up on Roman’s shirt and started kissing at his now exposed stomach. Roman propped himself back up on his elbows, using one hand to play with Dean’s hair. While Dean licked along Roman’s waistline his hand moved to grope Roman through the jeans he was still wearing. It wasn’t long until Dean was unzipping Roman’s pants. Dean slid his hand down under the fabric of Roman’s underwear and began to squeeze. Slowly Dean could feel Roman hardening in his hand. 

When Roman was half hard Dean pulled his cock out from underneath the fabric and started stroking slowly. Roman was making pleased noises from above him as he continued to play with Dean’s hair. Then Dean kissed his way from Roman’s stomach to the base of Roman’s cock. Dean started to lick around the base of Roman’s dick and over his balls. Roman’s breath was quickening noticeably. Dean just kept up his licking and his stroking. Precum was beginning to leak from the tip of Roman’s cock. On up strokes Dean would collect the precum and use it as a sort of make shift lube to make the stroking smoother. 

Using his free hand to prop himself up Dean took just the tip of Roman’s cock into his mouth. He sucked gently and licked at the slit for little beads of precum. He continued stroking with his hand while he sucked and licked at the tip. The noises Roman would make only encouraged Dean to go further. Dean sucked a little further down then back up to the tip where he licked up more precum. Dean repeated the motion a few times before bobbing his head even lower. On the way back up Dean licked a strip with his tongue flat along Roman’s cock. Dean then sucked lower back down towards the base, repeating the motion a few times. 

It wasn’t long until Dean started to get impatient and sucked down Roman’s cock nearly all of the way. Dean kept his hand on the base, squeezing every now and again. He would bob his head but only a little at first. Soon enough and Dean had found a pace deep throating Roman’s full length. Both of Dean’s hands were on Roman’s hips, fingers curling under the waistband of his jeans. A few minutes in and Roman’s grip on Dean’s hair had tightened. Roman’s hips were jerky but he had yet to thrust up into Dean’s mouth yet. Dean wasn’t sure he cared if he did or not. He just liked the feeling of having Roman’s dick in his mouth. 

Roman’s grip on his hair kept getting tighter. Dean hallowed his cheeks and tried to pull Roman as close to and orgasm as he could. He was clearly succeeding by the sounds Roman was making. Not long later Roman was giving him a strangled warning. Dea’s gave him the thumbs up. Between the spasming of Roman’s cock and the moan he was letting out Dean knew cum was about to spurt down his throat any second now. He was right and the cum came in hot quick bursts. Dean swallowed everything down before coming off of Roman’s dick with a wet pop sound. Dean tucked Roman away again before climbing up the bed to lay next to Roman. 

They both stayed quiet for a bit. They had crossed a line just now and neither knew what to do about it. There were two options. Push the relationship further or forget it ever happened. That was a conversation to be had when they were sober. For now they could just lay on their backs breathing heavy with fogged minds. If they decided to ignore it they could just blame it on the alcohol. Dean was already doing that. 

“What about you?” Roman breathed. 

“I’ll be fine,” Dean waved him off, “Just need a cigarette. Alcohols got me too fogged. Need to sober up a bit.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Roman asked.

“If you want to come,” that was as much of an invite as Roman was going to get from Dean.

Roman just nodded. Dean sat up off the bed and zipped up his hoodie. He moved to put on his shoes while Roman remained on the bed watching him. When he finished tying his shoes he looked over to Roman.

Dean waited a minute before asking, “Coming?”

Roman smiled at him for a second, “Yeah.” 

Dean nodded and waited for Roman to get his shoes on before they headed outside. Dean went straight for the car, hopping up on the hood and taking a seat. Roman wasn’t far behind him in climbing up onto the hood and taking a seat. Dean dug into his pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes and the lighter. He pulled out a cigarette before putting the pack back and fumbling with the lighter. Dean was struggling to get the thing to work. 

“Here,” Roman mumbled.

Dean loosened his fist as Roman took the lighter out of his hand. When Roman flicked it on Dean held the cigarette firmly between his lips. Roman brought the flame up to the end of the stick while Dean breathed in deeply. When Roman pulled it away Dean gripped the cigarette between two fingers and pulled it out of his mouth, exhaling the smoke as he did so. With his free hand he took the lighter back from Roman and slid it into his pocket. Dean looked up at the stars while he continued to smoke his cigarette. 

There was a lot on Dean’s mind right now and none of it extended further than Roman. Dean was now recounting every action Roman has taken around him. Maybe he denounced the possibility of Roman liking him back too soon. Clearly Roman wasn’t closed off to the idea of being with him. Unless it was just the alcohol getting to him. Dean really hoped it wasn’t that one. There was really only one way to know and that was to ask. He wouldn’t though. All Dean would do was ignore it until Roman brought it up. Then in the mean time he’d hope that Roman wouldn’t bring it up. Things were easier when you just buried your feelings. Then you wouldn’t have the possibility of them biting you in the ass. Getting bit in the ass is exactly what would happen to Dean if it turned out Roman really was just drunk and horny. Dean liked Roman far too much for that to be a possibility. 

It wasn’t long until Dean had smoked the whole thing. They had both sat there in silence watching the stars. Neither knew what to say. The time passed by quick. By the time Dean was stomping out his cigarette his lids were heavy and he was just ready for bed. Dean offered Roman his hand and helped him off the hood. It was unnecessary but it felt right. Dean lead the two back inside where Dean didn’t even bother to change into pajamas. He just flopped down on the bed shoes and all. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was going to be a rough morning.


	11. Drive in Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a couple of dudes going on a date, nothing to see here asdfghjkl

Dean had passed out in his clothes. Right after Dean had collapsed on the bed Roman made an effort to pull Dean’s shoes off along with his jeans. The shoes were tossed to the corner of the room and the jeans were tossed onto Dean’s bag. Roman had moved the cover out from under Dean and tucked him in. It was then that Roman changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed. Soon after and they were both asleep. Dean’s soft snores had drifted Roman off to sleep. Roman’s phone had already been plugged in and the video files were transferring to the laptop while they slept. 

Morning came soon after. The sun came and rose, shining dimly through the blinds. They were both still asleep. At some point during the night Dean had snuggled into Roman like he had the night before in the hotel. Roman instinctively curled an arm around him after he did so. Dean was using Roman’s chest as a pillow. Roman’s chest was a nice cross between firm and soft that was comfortable enough for Dean to use as a pillow. Dean was laying on his stomach half on top of Roman. If Roman woke before he did he’d just blame it on the alcohol. That was a valid excuse for everything right? The alcohol? That’s the excuse Dean would use anyway. It had got him out of plenty back in high school. Maybe that charm wore off in your 20’s. Or maybe he was still close enough to being a teenager that it’d work. Or maybe it was an excuse that would always work. He guessed he’d find out eventually.

Slowly Dean blinked awake. The arm Roman had around Dean’s waist was tight. Dean wasn’t sure he’d be able to move out of it without waking Roman up. That didn’t stop him from trying though. Dean squirmed around and tried to gently pry Roman’s arm away but in the end he couldn’t manage. Roman’s grip was just too tight for Dean to slither out of. Instead Dean tried to shake Roman awake while whispering his name. It took some harder shoves and speaking a little bit louder, but eventually Roman woke up. Roman’s grip tightened instinctively as he woke only to loosen when he became aware of his surroundings. 

“Let me go,” Dean demanded.

“In a minute,” Roman was still half asleep. It was evident in his tone. 

“Let me go wanna shower,” Dean whined. 

“Fine,” Roman let go of Dean and fell back asleep. Or tried to. 

Dean moved off of the bed and grabbed his bag. He made his way into the shower after another glance at Roman’s sleeping form. He shut the bathroom door behind him. Dropping the bag on the ground Dean took a look at himself in the mirror. He took a good hard look. There were bags under his eyes despite a full nights rest. It was like his hangover was set into his features. Even in his reflection he could see himself overthinking everything. He just needed a hot shower to help clear his mind. That was all. A hot shower. 

Dean moved to turn on the water, reminding himself that he could wait for it to heat up. He undressed as the water grew warm. Grabbing his shower stuff out of his bag he got into the shower. He felt instant relief under the stream of the water. After only a couple of minutes Dean felt like he could see the tension in his body washing away down the drain. Dean lathered himself up with soap, trying to rinse the night off of himself. He had woken up without pants on and he wasn’t really sure if he or Roman had done that. Either way didn’t matter he ended up with the same result regardless. 

When Dean got out of the shower he was quick to dress. Again he wore a flannel over top knowing it’d get too hot for it eventually. That was the beauty of being able to tie things around your waist. That thought had the mental image of Roman’s arm around his waist again. Dean shooed away that thought and packed his clothes back up. He headed back out into the room and saw Roman was awake now. Dean paused a second before exiting further. When Roman passed by Dean he ruffled his hair and shut the door behind himself. Dean couldn’t tell if that was a reset or a habit. 

Dean went over to where the laptop was setup and checked that the files had transferred. The files had and Dean unplugged the camera from the laptop. Dean packed up everything that wasn’t the camera and flopped back down on the bed. He decided on watching whatever he could find on tv. Roman didn’t take too long in the shower this morning. It wasn’t long before he was back out in the main room. Roman dropped his bag down on the ground and took a seat next to Dean on the bed. After a few minutes Roman spoke up.

“You wanna just take a break from ghost hunting and do something fun tonight?” Roman asked. 

Dean furrowed his brow, “Like what?”

“I saw a drive in theater when we drove into town,” Roman explained, “We could do that.”

“Sounds fun enough,” Dean shrugged. 

“So you wanna?” Roman asked. 

Dean nodded, “Yeah. Hope they’re playing something good.”

“Then it’s a date,” Roman smiled at Dean. 

Dean felt his body tense slightly at the word date. Instead of bringing attention to it Dean just smiled back at Roman. He then turned his attention back on the tv. They spent the rest of the day lounging around the motel room. They only left to get food and for Dean to smoke a cigarette or two. They had looked up what was playing at the theater and decided to head out around six thirty. The sun would be setting during the movie and the air would be warm the entire way through it. The movie playing was Psycho. Dean wasn’t a big fan of horror movies, but he wasn’t about to let Roman know that. He figured he could just tough it out when they got there. 

Soon enough and six thirty had rolled around. Looking forward to it wasn’t exactly what Dean was. He was looking forward to spending time with Roman on what may or may not be a date. What he wasn’t looking forward to was the movie itself. He had seen it before and he could honestly say while it wasn’t as scary as a regular horror movie it did make him feel uneasy the whole time. That was enough to make him not want to watch the movie ever again. Tonight though he was in the unfortunate situation of having to watch it again. All because he was too proud to admit that he was afraid of horror movies. 

They left their bags in the motel room, just planning on coming back and spending another night there. They made their way out to the car. Dean decided to bring the camera with them just incase. It was a documentary after all and you never knew what places would and wouldn’t be haunted. Dean set it in his lap as he buckled up. Roman put the key in the ignition and then they were off. The drive wasn’t too long, only about ten minutes in total. They paid for their tickets and pulled up to a place to park. While Roman left to go grab stuff from concessions Dean climbed up on top of the roof of the car for a better vantage point. They had parked pretty far back and wouldn’t be blocking anybody's view in any way.

Roman came back not too long after Dean had gotten on the roof, camera sitting next to him. Even from far away Dean could see the grin that appeared on Roman’s face when he noticed where Dean was sitting. Roman set everything down on the roof and made a move to climb up to where Dean was on the roof. Roman found it a bit harder to get up than Dean did. In fairness Dean was smaller and had more room to get on. Roman only struggled a little though to not knock everything over. In retrospect Dean could’ve helped out a bit more. Watching Roman struggle was decidedly more fun though. So instead he just watched as Roman struggled his way on top of the roof of the car. 

Once on top of the car Roman handed Dean his drink and set the popcorn and m&m’s between them. After that Roman scooted a little bit closer to Dean, ruffling his hair a bit as he did so. They had still yet to talk about what had happened between them and if they wanted it to happen more. Dean wanted it to happen more, but he’d understand if Roman didn’t want to. On Dean’s end he got to be with Roman, but on Roman’s end he got to be with Dean. That’s not something Dean ever saw anyone wanting, why would Roman be any different. He’d have to just write it off as drunken regret. He wrote most of his hookups off as drunken regrets anyways. What counted is that Roman wasn’t being weird around him. They could just go on about their journey. That was something Dean was really grateful for.

A little ways into the previews Roman picked up the camera and started filming.

[filming…]

The camera was on Dean who had yet to realize he was being filmed. After a few seconds Dean finally notices the camera pointed at him and turned his head to look at Roman. 

“What’re you doing?” Dean laughs. 

Roman can be heard from behind the camera, “Filming you. You look cute.”

Dean blushes and lowers his head a bit, “Shut up. Turn it off.”

Roman continues to film and after a few seconds Dean grabs for the camera and the footage cuts out. 

[end filming]

Dean takes the camera from Roman and sets it on the other side of himself, “You’re such a fucking dork.” 

Roman just shrugged and tossed some popcorn into his mouth. Dean continues to fight the blush on his face. Had Roman just called him cute? Dean didn’t get much time to ponder that thought as the movie started playing on the screen. It wasn’t long into the movie before Dean was scootching over towards Roman. There was little space between them, just enough for the popcorn to sit between them. Each had their drink on their own side. Every now and again Dean would jump a little bit, hoping Roman wouldn’t notice. When the popcorn was gone and set off to the side is when things really started picking up. As soon as the classic Psycho music started playing Dean jumped almost completely into Roman’s lap. Roman held his hands up in shock before letting out a small laugh and petting Dean’s head. 

“Not a fucking word,” Dean’s grumbling was muffled by Roman’s shoulder. 

Roman just held his hands up defensively. Dean didn’t stop hiding in Roman’s shoulder until the movie was over. It was then that Dean grabbed his camera and hopped off the roof of the car. Roman grabbed all of their trash and tossed it in the closest trash can. While Roman was doing that Dean got into the passenger seat and watched over the video from earlier. Dean couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips. Roman had called him cute. By the time Roman got back the video was over but Dean was still looking at the camera. That’s when Roman took it out of his hands and started recording again. 

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean who has a confused and amused look on his face. 

“So what did we just watch?” Roman asks from behind the camera. 

“Psycho,” Dean says cautiously. 

“Kinda funny how the ghost boy is afraid of horror movies but not demons,” Roman teased. 

Dean shook his head and laughed, “Shut up.”

[end filming]


	12. A Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hahaha i've lost the plot loves

“Can we go now?” Dean asked as he took the camera back from Roman.

“When were you gonna tell me you’re afraid of horror movies?” Roman asked as he sat down in the drivers seat.

“Wasn’t,” Dean mumbled. 

“What else don’t I know about you?” Roman asked softly.

Dean shrugged, “Lots of stuff.” 

“Like what?” Roman pressed. 

“I’ll tell ya when we get back to the motel. Now can we go?” Dean replied. 

Roman nodded and started the car. The drive back to the motel was quiet. Dean drummed his fingers against his thigh the whole way. He needed a cigarette. Bad. The good news is he put them in his pocket before they left. So he didn’t have to go back inside to get one. When Roman parked in the motel parking lot the first thing did was get out and climb onto the hood. This time when Dean lit his cigarette he actually got it lit. Roman was the one to grab the camera and set it beside Dean as he climbed onto the hood as well. They waited for a few moments in silence. Roman was waiting to see if Dean would pick the conversation back up. Dean wasn’t going to though. That was Roman’s job. 

Dean took a drag of his cigarette and waited. If Roman wanted to ask he’d ask. They sat there looking at the stars for a little while. The night was quiet and peaceful. The air felt easy between te two of them. Dean was sure he could just sit there in quiet forever. He’d actually prefer sitting there in silence over Roman trying to pry into him. It wasn’t sharing pieces of himself that he was afraid of. It was which questions would Roman ask. Would he ask about his childhood? That was a question people tended to open with. Dean would really prefer Roman didn’t ask him that one. 

“So, where are you from,” Roman started easy. 

“Cincinnati,” Dean replied, “You?”

Roman nodded in acknowledgement, “Pensacola.”

It went quiet between them again. Dean took another drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out in a steady stream. Roman seemed to be thinking on what his next question would be. Dean found himself hoping they’d stay with the easy questions. Even if it was just for tonight he wanted to stay with the easy questions. They were, well, easier. Tonight was going to well and he didn’t want it to end on a sour note. 

“What made you wanna leave?” Roman asked. 

Dean blew out some more smoke, “Just something knew. What about you?”

“Well,” Roman started, “I didn’t exactly leave, just chose the college that would fit me best.” 

“Fair enough,” Dean shrugged. 

“I like you Dean,” Roman said suddenly.

“Huh?”

Dean nearly dropped his cigarette. Had he heard that right? He couldn’t have there’s no way. Absolutely no way he head Roman right. Roman would speak again and say something completely different to what Dean had just heard. Dean turned his head to face Roman. Roman was already looking at him. There was something in his eyes. Dean wasn’t sure exactly what it was. He searched hard in Roman’s eyes for a signal that Dean had just misheard him. All Dean saw in Roman’s eyes was sincerity and that made Dean’s chest tighten up. It was almost as if he couldn’t breathe. 

“I said I like you Dean,” Roman clarified. 

“Why?” Dean’s tone was flat. 

There was no way in Dean’s mind that Roman could like him. Obviously Dean liked him, but for Roman to like him back. Dean had tried to find a reason to explain away all of Roman’s actions. There was an easy explanation for all of them and it wasn’t that Roman liked him. That was too easy of an explanation. It was too convenient for Dean. Things didn’t normally go his way so why would this be any different. How could Roman like him? After months of talking Dean was shocked Roman even still wanted to be friends with him let alone more. 

“Why?” Roman asked confused. 

“Yeah,” Dean took another drag of his cigarette, “I’m just having a hard time believing someone like you could be into someone like me. It’s not that I don’t like you because I do I just. Why?”

Roman made a noise of disbelief, “Someone like me?”

“Yeah dude you’re like perfect,” Dean stated as if it was fact. To Dean it was.

Roman shook his head, “I’m not perfect.”

“Yeah you are. I mean you’re nice, you let me go on about stuff I like. You listen to me talk about stuff I like. You came on this trip for me,” Dean tried to explain. 

“Has nobody ever listened to you before?” Roman asks softly.

Dean goes silent there. He fights the urge to lash out at the question. It would be so easy to just push. Push so far that Roman never comes back. Dean just can’t let himself do that this time. He likes Roman and for some weird reason Roman likes him back. It doesn’t make sense in Dean’s mind but that how it is. Life doesn’t always make sense. This time it really doesn’t. How did he end up in this situation anyway. Sitting on the hood of a car with a handsome guy that in retrospect he barely knew. He was getting to know him though. Right now though he knew his body better than his hobbies. 

Dean took a long drag of his cigarette, feeling the smoke pull in and fill is lungs. He turned his head away from Roman and breathed out. He watched as the smoke formed a small cloud and then disappeared before his eyes. The smoke lacked the permanence his words had so he just kept smoking his cigarette. Roman seemed to get the message as he scooted closer to Dean. Dean wasn’t going to speak. Not without more prompting at least. He wasn’t going to outright admit to anything. So it was up to Roman to give him an easier question. 

“So we like each other,” Roman changed the subject, “What do we do with that?” 

The response he got from Dean was a shrug. Dean wasn’t being difficult, he really didn’t know. What did they do with that? Dean had never had a crush reciprocated before. This was all new to him. Were they supposed to go on dates? Had they already been on a date? Is that what going to the movie was, a date? Dean chewed at the bed of his nail near the end of his cigarette. There were a lot of questions that Dean just didn’t have answers. He was hoping Roman would have those answers. He was hoping the answer was being together. 

“Yeah I don’t know either,” Roman sighed. 

“Already blown you,” Dean pointed out. 

Roman nodded, “Fair point.”

Quiet settled between the two again. This was a hard conversation to be having. Dean had never had one of these before and he’d be glad to never have to again. He was sure Roman had done it plenty of times before. He’d probably had plenty of boyfriends and/or girlfriends back home. So Roman probably knew how to navigate all of this. Dean was completely lost on what to do or say. So Dean just tried his best to keep his focus on his cigarette instead of the way he felt inside. The way he felt inside was too confusing for him. He liked Roman. He wanted to be more with Roman. He was just scared. Scared that that meant letting Roman in. Scared that that meant Roman might not like what he sees on the inside. That was always a possibility. That Roman didn’t like what was on the inside. Dean didn’t know what he’d do if that happened. Probably shut down completely. 

“We could give it a shot,” Roman offered. 

“Give what a shot?” Dean asked.

Dean wasn’t stupid. He knew what Roman meant. He just wanted to hear Roman say it first. Almost as if to double check first. Give Roman another chance to change his mind. Give Roman the out he clearly didn’t want. It was there for him just in case though. He might take it. There was always that possibility. Maybe on the second thought he’d realize that he didn’t really want Dean. Dean had a feeling that Roman wouldn’t take it though. 

“Give us a shot,” Roman clarified. 

There it was. Roman didn’t take the out Dean gave him. Instead he reiterated what he meant. Dean felt a swelling in his chest. Roman really wanted to be with him. Him. Dean. Roman wanted to be with Dean. That was a result Dean hadn’t planned on. Dean didn’t actually know what to do with that result. Take the chance he guessed. That was the thing to do. Take the chance and see how things worked out for them. Dean couldn’t say he didn’t want to give it a shot. Again, he was just scared of the maybe that could follow. The what ifs.

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, “I, uhh, think we should.”

“Yeah?” Roman asked, excitement evident in his tone.

“Yeah,” Dean repeated, “Yeah why not. I like you you like me. Simple math right?”

“Should we like, go on a date or something?” Roman tried.

Dean let out a small laugh, “I think we just did.”

“Right,” Roman said, “Well in that case.

Roman leaned over and kissed Dean on the lips. It was gentle and soft. It was also quick. Dean hadn’t had any time to respond to the kiss. Hadn’t had any time to kiss back. He wanted to. He wanted to kiss the goddamn smirk that was forming on Roman’s face. He had caught him off guard with that one. Smooth bastard. Dean just brought the cigarette back to his lips to stop himself from lurching across the hood and kissing Roman’s lips off in return. Dean inhaled an let the smoke fill his insides before blowing it out again. Dean shook his head and smiled over at Roman. It was a soft smile with just the hint of a dimple showing. 

“That was good,” Dean nodded, smile still on his face. 

Roman shrugged in response, “Saw an opportunity and took it.”

“No it was good,” Dean laughed. 

“I can do it again if you want,” Roman offered.

This time it was Dean to lean over for the kiss. Roman met him almost halfway with the kiss. This one lasted a little bit longer. Dean really savored how soft Roman’s lips truly were. This time he could really take in the way Roman’s lips felt against his own in a way he couldn’t the night before when they were drunk. It felt nice and when Roman pulled away Dean found himself leaning forward a little ways before swaying back to how he had been sitting. Dean brought the cigarette back up to his lips and took a long drag.

Roman reached over and ruffled Dean’s hair, “We should probably head inside soon. We got more ghost hunting to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Dean took a final hit from his cigarette before dropping it on the ground and slid off the car to stomp it out.

Roman slid off behind him and lead the way back into the motel. Dean slid his hands into his pockets as he followed Roman. Roman held the door open for him before stepping in himself. They both grabbed their bags and got out some clothes to change into. Dean went straight into changing, taking his pants off as soon as he had his clothes out and placed on top of his bag. Roman was watching quietly from across the room as he changed out of his clothes as well. Not long after and they were climbing into bed. After a little while Dean scooted over into Roman. He had fought the want to but ended up giving in anyway. It took a little while but eventually managed. Roman waited for Dean to fall asleep before allowing himself to. It took a little while, but eventually they both were asleep.


	13. Abandoned Church

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry i haven't updated much, just a bit sad

The sounds of Roman’s alarm played quietly throughout the room. At first Dean just snuggled further into Roman, hiding from the reality of having to wake up. It only worked for a few seconds. Dean grumbled and scooted out of Roman’s grip and out of the bed. Dean walked around the bed and over to where Roman’s phone was sitting plugged in. When Dean went over to the phone he hit snooze. This time he hit it intentionally. Last time it had woken Roman while he was in the shower. That was the hope of what would happen this time as well. Dean grabbed his bag and made his way into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. 

Dean got out his shower stuff, placing it in the shower as he did. He also pulled out a pair of clothes to change into at the end of his shower. Finally he turned the water on before getting undressed and waiting for the water to heat up. When the water was hot enough Dean stepped in. Dean stood there in the hot water for a minute. He couldn’t help but think about last night. Roman said he wanted to give them a chance, because Roman liked Dean too. That wasn’t something Dean had thought about as a possibility. He had put so much work into explaining away all of Roman’s actions only for them to be exactly the opposite of what they thought. They weren’t just things friends do because Roman was trying the whole time to try and be more than friends. Roman liked Dean and that was why he was doing all of those things. Not because he was trying to be a good friend, because he liked Dean. 

Dean shook his head and poured out some shampoo. He lathered it into his hair, this time he really scrubbed. He was trying to get every bit of dirt out, he was also hoping the scrubbing would make everything make sense in his head. With a sigh he shut his eyes and tilted his head back and let all of the suds rinse themselves out. When his hair had nothing but water in it he turned to face the water, letting it rinse over his face. Dean scrubbed at his face only partially to wash it. Afterwards he lathered up his body with soap before rinsing all of that away as well. When he was done he sighed again before turning the shower off and grabbing a towel to dry off with. 

Dean made quick work of getting into his clothes. He only fumbled with his belt for a few seconds before he got it situated. After pulling on his hoodie he packed up the rest of his stuff and stepped out of the bathroom. Dean dropped his bag by the bathroom door. Roman was already awake and started towards the bathroom. He gave Dean a kiss on the way into the bathroom. When the door shut Dean brought a hesitant hand up to his lips and smiled slightly. Dean looked behind him once before moving to pick up his camera. He turned it on and looked over the footage from the night before. The videos weren’t very long but they brought a smile to Dean’s lips. He figured that he might as well save the videos to the harddrive as well. 

Stepping back over to his bag Dean pulled out his laptop and the chord to the camera. He sat down on the bed and connected the two. Dean sat and watched while the video files transferred. It shouldn’t take very long. Each video isn’t even a whole minute long. He grabbed for the remote, switching on the tv as he did so. It wasn’t long until Roman was out of the shower and standing in the main room with fresh clothes on. 

“Whatcha doing?” Roman asked as he made his way over to where Dean was on the bed. 

“Transferring the files from yesterday,” Dean said then pointed at the tv lazily, “Watching whatever this is.”

Roman hummed, “So what’re we up to today?”

“Exploring an abandoned church. There’s one about a half a days drive from here. Should get there around sunset so we can leave in a bit,” Dean explained. 

Roman shook his head, “You really do have a death wish.”

“Nah, just love stressing you out,” Dean winked at Roman. 

Roman laughed in return. Soon enough and the video files had transferred and Dean packed the laptop and chord back up. Roman stayed watching the tv as he did so. Once Dean had packed everything back up the two headed out to the car to put their bags in the trunk. Dean had his camera in hand as he went to sit in the passenger seat. Roman shut the trunk behind them and left to go check out. Dean watched him all the way. While Roman was inside Dean fidgeted around in the car. He had readjusted his seating position about a hundred times before Roman reappeared from the main office. Dean chewed on the bed of his thumbnail as Roman approached the car. 

“Buckle,” Roman demanded as he got into the drivers seat. 

Dean rolled his eyes but buckled nonetheless, “What’re we doing for breakfast?” 

“You wanna see if we can find another diner?” Roman asked as he started the car. 

Dean nodded and they were off. They found a diner right on the edge of town and stopped. They parked and headed inside. It wasn’t long before they were inside with a couple of coffees between them and their meals on the way. Dean picked up six packets of sugar, tossing one to Roman. Roma laughed and poured the one into his coffee. Dean ripped the tops off of all five packets at once an poured them in. After he picked up a few creamers and poured those in one by one. Roman watched him do it with an eyebrow raised. He’d seen Dean do this so many times yet he still always seemed caught off guard by it. 

“That’s so much sugar,” Roman commented as Dean took a sip of his coffee. 

Dean finished his sip before responding, “Tastes better this way.” 

“I hardly doubt that,” Roman took a sip of his own coffee. 

“Here,” Dean slid his coffee across the table, “Try it.”

Roman picked up the mug hesitantly before taking a sip, “That’s way too sweet,” Roman said as he made a face. 

Dean took his coffee back and took a sip, “I think it’s good.”

“That’s because you have the pallet of a toddler,” Roman teased. 

“Just because you like your coffee bitter doesn’t mean I have the pallet of a toddler,” Dean defended himself. 

Roman just shrugged with the hint of a smirk playing on his face. Not too long later and they had their food in front of them. Dean’s plate of home fries proving Roman’s earlier statement to be true. In the time they were there Dean drank a little over three cups of coffee while Roman only drank his one. Dean was already getting jittery just sitting at the table. It wasn’t long after that they were off and headed to the church. Dean followed Roman out to the car and slid into the passenger seat, buckling right after he got in. After that the two of them were off, headed west towards an almost forgotten town that held the church Dean planned on exploring. The sun should be setting as they arrive. 

The drive is a long one. Twice Dean had tried to put his feet on the dash and twice had Roman scolded him for it. Each time Dean rolled his eyes but listened anyway. Dean filled the air with his talking. He was vibrating with excitement. This was something that he had always wanted to do. Now he got to do it with his sort of boyfriend. Life had just fallen in line for Dean as of late. He was still skeptical of everything but decided he needed to enjoy it while it lasted. 

The sun was setting as they pulled up to the broken down church. When they got out Dean dug a couple of flashlights out of his bag. He handed one to Roman before zipping the bag back up and shutting the trunk. Roman was holding the camera, turning it on as Dean was shutting the trunk. 

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean, who is in the process of shutting the trunk. He’s holding a flashlight in his hand. The lighting is dim and the sun is low in the sky behind him. 

“So,” Roman can be heard from behind the camera, “Why are we here?”

“Here to explore,” Dean laughs, not looking up at Roman yet. 

“And where are we?” Roman asks.

Now Dean looks over at Roman before over at the church. The camera pans over to a beat up looking church. It’s clear from the look of it that it hasn’t been used in a long while. 

“We’re here because it seemed like the right place to explore. An old abandoned church in a nearly deserted town? That has ghosts and demons written all over it,” Dean explains. 

“But you don’t know for sure,” Roman presses. 

Dean shrugs, “I can only guess on everything. I do know that in my research that abandoned churches tend to become this weird space or portal to another world if you do things wrong.” 

“So we just have to hope we do things right?” Roman asks.

“We’ll be fine,” Dean assures, “C’mon let’s go.”

Dean waves his hand in a follow me motion as he starts heading towards the church. Roman follows behind, keeping the camera on Dean. Dean struggles a bit with the door before getting it open. There was nothing in sight, just empty fields. There was no danger of them getting caught. The first thing Dean does is pick up a bible and look through it. Dean flicks on his flashlight before holding the book up to the camera.

“Blank,” Dean says. 

Dean picks up another bible, and then another.

“Are they all blank?” Dean asks as he turns to Roman.

“Looks like it,” Roman says. 

Meanwhile Roman flicks on his own flashlight and begins to look around. They walked around for a while. Dean calls Roman over. Slowly Roman makes his way over to look at the book Dean’s holding. It looks different to the bibles they were looking at before. Even more different to the bibles the book had words in it. The camera honed in on the writing, none of it was in English. It didn’t look like a human language at all. 

“Hey wasn’t that cross over there?” Dean asks as he points his flashlight at something.

The camera pans over to a cross on a wall. 

“I don’t know,” Roman says honestly.

“Weird,” Dean comments, “Hey give me the camera. Gonna go confess my sins.”

The camera is handed off to Dean who starts heading towards the confession booth. Dean slides in and after a few seconds he hears a voice. 

“Hello little lamb. Come to confess?” the voice was of a southern man. 

Dean shines the flashlight into the other booth where he can make out a man with a beard and a hat. Dean quickly exits the booth before going and trying to get in the priests side. When Dean managed to get in there was no on there. Quietly from the basement an organ playing could be heard. A feeling of unease washes over the footage as Dean hurries to Roman and drags him out of the church. 

“Find somethings you didn’t like ghost boy?” Roman teases.

The camera is pointed at the ground as they walk out. When the camera pans back up the church is gone. 

“Where the fuck did it go?” Roman asks in disbelief, “Where did it go?” 

“What the fuck,” Dean can be heard saying before the footage cuts out.

[end filming]


	14. Missing Church

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeah it's technically tuesday but it's only 2:30 am so not too bad

“Seriously what the fuck,” Dean breathed out. 

He had shut the camera off shortly after the church had disappeared.

“I really have no idea,” Roman shook his head almost in disbelief. 

The entire building they had been investigating was gone. Disappeared into thin air. Just gone. Like it never existed. Dean and Roman could do nothing but stare on. They were looking around frantically. The only thing near them was their car and a field. It was almost as if the building had never existed in the first place. After a bit Roman grabbed Dean by the arm and walked him to the car. They both got in and Roman started driving in a direction. Which one didn’t matter to him at the moment. Dean turned the light in the car on before clicking the record button on his camera. 

[filming…]

The camera is aimed at Dean’s face from an arms length away. He looks slightly distressed. It’s visible that he’s in the passenger seat of a moving car. 

“So the church is gone,” Dean states. 

Dean looks over to his left for a few seconds. 

“Um, I don’t really know what just happened. Kinda at a loss,” Dean mumbles. 

He looks out of the window. 

“How does a whole church disappear,” Dean asks in an annoyed tone.

Dean looks back to his left as he says it. Roman’s hand reached over and ruffles his hair. 

“Just as confused as you Deano,” Roman says. 

Dean looks back at the camera for a second before looking back out the window.

“Did you hear the organ playing,” Dean asks as he looks back at Roman. 

“I didn’t,” Roman says. 

“Started playing right before we left. I took it as a sign to leave,” Dean explains. 

“Weird,” Roman admits.

“We’re gonna find somewhere to sleep, then explore something hopefully less weird tomorrow,” Dean smiles tiredly before turning the camera off.

[end filming…]

Dean turned the camera off before turning the car light off too. The night was quiet. Stars had risen into the sky. Dean sighed heavily as he watched out the windshield as Roman drove. Quietly Roman reached over and grabbed ahold of Dean’s hand. A small smile found its way onto Dean’s face as he looked down at their interlocked hands. It helped ease his mind a little bit. It’d be a lie to say he wasn’t even slightly shaken up by what just happened.

Churches didn’t just disappear. Buildings didn’t just disappear. Yet here they were and the whole thing was gone. No explanation no nothing. It didn’t make any sense. There was also that voice from the concession booth. Who the hell was that and where did they go? Why had he called Dean little lamb? Was that a normal nickname from religious people or was it just that weirdo? There were a lot of questions and Dean knew he was never going to get answers to them. It was weird and he’d have to leave it at that. 

Suddenly he was glad he had Roman with him. He was already glad, but he was extra glad right now. He couldn’t imagine doing this without him. What would Dean have done if he had gone in there alone and that all had happened? He probably wouldn’t have slept that night and just headed home. In fact he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight either. Even with Roman with him. He could already tell this would be swimming in his head for days or weeks or possibly even months. It was just one of those things that haunted you. No matter how hard you tried you could never forget about it. 

The hope was that it had been caught on camera. If the footage didn’t catch anything and it was all for nothing Dean might scream. If the church disappeared does that mean to footage did too? He really hoped not. That’s a worst case scenario. He couldn’t even imagine checking the footage and seeing nothing was there. If that were to happen he might call a quits on the whole thing. That would seriously be the last straw for Dean. The rest of the stuff was kind of scary kind of neat. This just freaked Dean out.

They drove for miles. There was nothing for most of them. Eventually though they came across a motel to stay in. It was small and Roman had told Dean to stay in the car. Something deep in Dean didn’t want to be alone right now, but he sat and waited anyway. Sat and waited meaning he got out and sat on the hood of the car. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled the smoke letting it cloud his lungs. When he blew it back out he felt a little bit more relaxed. He really was spooked but he wasn’t going to admit that to Roman. Instead he’d just smoke his cigarette and hope that made things better. 

It wasn’t long before Roman was exiting the building. He paused for a moment at seeing Dean sitting on the hood of the car. After the initial shock Roman made his way over. When he got to the car he took a seat next to Dean on the hood. They were quiet for a few moments. Neither knew how to quite break the ice yet. What had happened was weird. There was no denying that fact. They couldn’t just ignore that either. Neither wanted to talk about it though. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Roman asked gently.

“I’ll be fine as long as it’s on tape,” Dean said, cigarette hovering in front of his mouth. 

“You think it won’t be?” Roman furrowed his brow.

Dean shrugged, “It’s possible. A whole church disappeared. Poof. Into dust. Thin air. Vanished.” 

“Yeah, well,” Roman started, “if it makes you feel better I think I believe in all that supernatural stuff now. You’ve convinced me.” 

Dean looked over to Roman and raised an eyebrow, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Roman wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulders. 

Dean leaned into the touch, resting his head on Roman’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a bit. Dean continued to smoke his cigarette and Roman just held him tight. It was almost unspoken between them. Dean felt like he needed to be held and Roman felt like he needed to hold. It was just something they both needed at the moment. It had been a long day. It had been a long few days. They both needed to just relax a little bit. Enjoy each others company. Grow more comfortable in their new relationship. 

Eventually Dean managed to smoke his cigarette. He had to slide out of Roman’s grip to put it out. Afterwards Roman popped the trunk and they grabbed their stuff and headed to their room. Roman unlocked the door and held it open for Dean to go through. Dean headed in and set down his bag. Immediately Dean went to getting out the laptop and hard drive. Dean plugged everything in and started the file transfer process. Afterwards he moved backwards toward the bed. Dean laid back on the bed while Roman set his stuff down. 

“Think I’m gonna take a shower,” Dean announced. 

“Good,” Roman half laughed, “You smell like cigarettes.” 

“Gee wonder why,” Dean joked as he sat up. 

Roman smiled at him as he made his way into the bathroom. On the way there he grabbed his bag and headed in. He waited for the shower to heat up before getting in. Once he was in he turned his back to the water and shut his eyes. He couldn’t help but let his mind drift to earlier at the church. He didn’t think he’d ever forget the voice of that man. The drawl of his voice. The way he called him little lamb. It sent shivers down Dean’s spine. 

Dean shook his head. He washed his hair this morning but still he found himself washing it again. He scrubbed hard in hopes that would make the memories go away. It worked a little bit. He just needed some rest and he wasn’t sure if he was going to get any tonight. It was really messing with his head. He really needed that sleep. There was no way that he had seen what he saw. Things like that didn’t just happen. That was the type of thing you read in stories. 

Sighing Dean poured some body wash into his hand and started scrubbing his body. He wanted to wash ever bit of dust from that place off of himself. He briefly considered asking Roman to do the same. That was maybe taking it too far though. The camera was transferring files out in the main room. It looked like there was a lot of footage so that was good. At least the footage hadn’t disappeared into thin air. Unlike the church. Dean wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let that go. Why should he? That had to top the list of strangest things to ever happen to Dean.

When Dean stepped out of the shower he made quick work of getting into his pajamas. Just a pair of plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt that was way too big for him. All of his t-shirts were too big for him. All of his clothes were too big for him. He wasn’t sure why, he’d just always done that. It felt more natural to be in baggy clothes. Like despite being ill fitting they fit him like a glove. Not his body but more so his personality. Like he looked like someone who’d wear baggy clothes. He didn’t put too much thought into it though. It was what it was.

Dean made his way back out into the main room to find Roman already in his pajamas. He was on the bed watching some local cooking channel. Dean crawled into bed with him. Roman seemed to have gotten Dean’s thing about sleeping by the door. Dean leaned on Roman’s arm and Roman wrapped it around Dean. They were sitting in a leaned position, both underneath the blanket. Dean’s yawn let Roman know how tired Dean truly was. He started rubbing circled with his thumb. 

After a little while Roman moved his hand from Dean’s shoulder and into his hair. Gently he started petting Dean softly. Dean was heavy lidded and letting Roman support most of his weight. His head was on Roman’s shoulder. He went from making comments here and there to not making any at all. Dean couldn’t keep his eyes open. He wasn’t asleep yet, but his eyes were shut. It would probably be one of those nights where he was too tire to move, but not tired enough to fall asleep. 

After a while though Dean did manage to fall asleep. He chalked it up to Roman’s soothing nature. It was difficult to let himself drift off but he managed. Roman had moved him to a laying position. The tv kept playing. Roman was going to make sure Dean was not only down for the count, but that he was going to stay down for the count. He didn’t need Dean waking up in the middle of the night because he hadn’t fallen asleep properly. Roman wasn’t going to go to bed until Dean was done for. That was a rule he had made for himself. Maybe an unnecessary one, but it was almost a promise to himself. A way to keep Dean safe.

Dean tossed and turned for a little while. Roman would just pet his head until he calmed down again. It was all Roman could think to do and it seemed to be working. After about an hour of that routine Dean seemed to settle. Roman clicked off the tv and started to make himself comfortable. It wasn’t long until Roman was asleep as well. Dean weighed heavier on his mind than the rest of the night did. Dean seemed to always weigh the heaviest on his mind.


	15. Haunted Playground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> should've posted this before work but forgot it was monday, now it's tuesday again. enjoy!

Dean couldn’t sleep. He had woken back up in the middle of the night to Roman curled around him. Dean had just laid there in Roman’s arms for a little while longer. It felt nice to be held. It had been so long since he really had been. Before Roman the last time he was held he had been a child. The thought made Dean sad suddenly. What kind of a life is it if you’re on your own, cold and alone. A sad one he decided. He had been living a sad life this far. Maybe that’s why Roman was placed in front of him. An apology from the world for treating him so harshly thus far. Maybe Dean was just getting ahead of himself. 

Dean sighed silently as he unraveled himself from Roman’s grip. He tiptoed to check the footage transfer. There was only a couple of minutes left. Dean chewed on the bed of his thumbnail. He needed something to do while he waited. Looking back at Roman he cursed himself out. He went straight to his bag and pulled out the pack of cigarettes and the lighter. He also slid on his sneakers and grabbed the room key. It wasn’t like he was vulnerable, he was fairly big guy. He just knew it would upset Roman. 

Dean sank that worry to the back of his mind. Instead he headed out the door and over to the hood of Roman’s car. Dean took his normal seat. It wasn’t long until he had a cigarette lit and between his lips. Sitting out in the chilled summer air felt nice. It felt natural. Dean had always enjoyed being outside in nature rather than being cooped up inside. He also realized this was the first time since they had left since Dean had been alone for more than a shower and to use the bathroom. Roman was always just with him. That felt nice. There was something about being away from him that felt unnatural and Dean couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. There was just something about being around Roman that felt right. 

When Dean finished up his cigarette he stomped it out and made his way back inside. He almost didn’t want to go back in. Being outside in the fresh air was nice. Although he was breathing more smoke than he was fresh air. He figured it was all the same as he headed back in. He open and shut the door as quietly as he could. Roman appeared to still be asleep. Dean was grateful for that. He kicked off his shoes and made his way to the laptop. The file had finished transferring. He turned the volume down low and watched. 

Dean was about halfway through the footage when Roman started to stir. 

“Shit,” Dean mumbled. 

“What’re you doing?” Roman asked, voice rough with sleep. 

“Checking the footage,” Dean said as he looked back at Roman. 

Roman groaned and climbed out of bed. 

“You can sleep,” Dean pointed out. 

Roman came to kneel beside him anyway, kissing Dean’s temple as he did so. It was quiet for a while as they both watched. They footage still showed everything. When they reached the end the footage even showed the church was gone. Dean let out a relieved sigh. At least they caught that. That was something they needed. They could probably just pack up and leave right now. Quit while you’re ahead. Dean wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t something he’d ever been good at. Dean only quit when there was nothing else to fuck up. 

“Back to bed,” Roman ran his hand through Dean’s hair, ruffling it a bit. 

“Fine,” Dean agreed. 

He was tired. Saying he wasn’t would be a complete lie. Dean wasn’t in the business of lying right now. So instead he climbed back into bed beside Roman. After the relief of catching everything on tape Dean was able to get something resembling sleep. In Roman’s arms Dean was sure he could probably get sleep regardless of the circumstance. There was just a feeling of safety that came with it. Something Dean couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

They slept in past Roman’s alarm. Slept so long the thing shut itself off. Dean didn’t even know it could do that. He imagined it would just keep going off. Then Roman explained that it did in fact not do that. Dean was convinced that it just didn’t go off, but Roman assured him it had gone off. Dean just shrugged it off. Wasn’t like it mattered much. They were awake now and that’s all that mattered. Roman headed off to the shower as Dean flicked on the tv. The same local cooking channel was playing. There was some middle aged woman on the screen teaching him how to cook fish. 

Dean had drifted back off to sleep while Roman was showering. He only knew that because of the way he startled awake at the feeling of Roman shaking him. Roman took a defensive step back before laughing lightly. Dean groaned and laid his head back down on his pillow. He hadn’t realized how tired he was. He had fallen back asleep so easily. He hadn’t even noticed himself drifting. 

“We can stay a little longer and you can sleep,” Roman offered softly. 

“No,” Dean yawned, “I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah okay,” Roman didn’t sound like he quite believed him, “Get dressed then.”

Dean rolled his eyes before slowly making his way to his feet. On the way to his bag Dean felt Roman slap his ass. 

“Hey, fuck, I’m awake,” Dean half laughed. 

Roman shrugged as Dean made it the rest of the way to his bag. He pulled out some clothes and changed into them. He slid a hoodie over top and packed away his laptop. Once everything was packed Dean turned to Roman. 

“Ready?” Dean asked as if he hadn’t been the one holding them back. 

Roman gestured towards the door. Dean slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out of the door. Roman followed close behind with the key. They packed their stuff into the trunk and Roman went to check out. Dean on the other hand pulled out another cigarette to smoke. Sitting on the hood of the car Dean lit his cigarette. It wasn’t long until Roman was heading towards Dean, only a small shake of his head as he did so. Dean gave him a small smile in return. Roman made his way over and took his seat beside Dean. 

“Where are we headed today ghost boy,” Roman asked as he bumped shoulders with Dean.

Dean breathed out a bit of smoke before responding, “Haunted playground.”

“Where else would we be going?” Roman half laughed.

“A demon bridge tomorrow,” Dean pointed out. 

“Lovely,” Roman squeezed the back of Dean’s neck once.

Dean nodded. 

They sat quietly for a little while longer. They sat until Dean was done his cigarette. When he was he stomped it out after sliding off the hood of the car. Roman followed close behind. Dean was the first to get in the car, Roman getting in shortly after. They took off as soon as they were buckled. They stopped for breakfast along the way just like they normally did. Dean poured his usual amount of too much sugar in his coffee while Roman smiled fondly at him. They talked all through breakfast which made it take longer than it actually needed to. 

When they made it back to the car they were bumping shoulders the whole way. They were laughing about something. Yesterday was completely off of their minds. All the weirdness from the church had been temporarily forgotten in exchange for each other. Their conversation continued in the car. The whole drive was filled with conversation, they didn’t even turn the radio on. They just let their voices be the soundtrack to their drive. 

Heading further west they made their way to the playground. It wasn’t quite a days drive, but they got a late start and that’s what put them there as the sun was setting. They had to wait until it was dark anyway so they grabbed their flashlights and the dowsing rods and sat on the swings. Roman was holding the camera. He clicked record and pointed the thing at Dean who had yet to realize he was being filmed.

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean who’s swinging lightly, oblivious to the camera. 

“While we have a little bit of light left can you tell us why we’re here?” Roman asks from behind the camera.

Dean turns his head and sees Roman recording him. A small smile makes its way to his lips.

“We’re here because this playground is supposedly haunted,” Dean explains. 

After a beat Dean continues with, “Kinda the name of the game.”

Roman hums before the recording goes black.

[end filming]

Roman turned the camera off and started swinging back and forth a little bit. 

“You could give me a warning when you start filming,” Dean pointed out. 

Roman shook his head, “You’re cuter when you’re caught off guard.”

“Whatever,” Dean laughed. 

They swang in silence for a little bit. The sun continued to set behind them. Conversation picked up after only a little bit. The playground was empty, had been when they got there. Dean was relieved. The playground being empty would make things easier on the investigating part of the whole process. It would’ve sucked to have people roaming around when you’re trying to catch a ghost. Sort of like on the tracks when they saw that person. Or that ghost. Dean really wasn’t sure what that was. 

When it got dark again they picked up their stuff and went to sit on the equipment. Roman set the camera down facing Dean. Each of them had a flashlight, Dean’s sitting beside him and Roman’s in his hand. In Dean’s hands were the dowsing rods. They waited a few minutes to adjust before turning on the camera.

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean who’s lit dimly from Roman’s flashlight. He has a dowsing rod in each hand on either side of him. 

“Ready?” Dean asks.

Roman can be heard from behind the camera, “It’s going.”

Dean picks up both dowsing rods and they stay open.

“Please establish a yes,” Dean asks. 

The rods pull open a little bit more. Dean raises his eyebrows at Roman behind the camera. Dean brings the rods down before picking them back up. They stay open again.

“Please establish a no,” Dean asks.

The rods pull closed a little bit. Dean looks at Roman behind the camera again before dropping the rods back down to his sides. He picks them back up and they’re open.

“Is there someone here with us?” Dean asks. 

The rods pull open a little bit and Dean’s eyes flick up to Roman behind the camera again.

“Do you want to talk to us?” Dean asks.

The rods close slightly before opening back again.

“Do you want us to leave?” Dean asks.

The rods pull shut immediately. Dean lets out a small laugh as he looks at Roman. He had a sort of ‘can you believe this’ look on his face. They kept asking questions for a little while. They hear a banging underneath the play structure at some point and decide they need to investigate it. They could only sort of see underneath from up top. Dean grabs his flashlight and the dowsing rods and Roman grabs the camera.

The camera changes to the ground as they slide off of the play structure and down underneath it. They crouch underneath the structure, both slightly too tall for it. The camera follows the flashlight as Roman looks around. There’s another bang and the camera pans to Dean. There’s a face hanging upside down behind him looking at them. Roman grabs Dean by the arm and takes off running to the car. Not much can be seen before the camera goes blank inside of the car. 

[end filming]


	16. Ghost Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh shit actually posting before work??? posting on the correct day??? enjoy!!!

The car was speeding off away from the playground. Dean looked back out his window. He wasn’t sure what had just happened. He was out of breath from trying to keep up with Roman’s full on sprint to the car. Dean had been half dragged the whole way. 

“What the hell was that?” Dean asked once he caught his breath.

“I saw something,” Roman was out of breath too. 

“You saw something?” Dean jerked around to look behind them. 

“Yeah,” Roman nodded, “Behind you. It wasn’t human looking. Like it was a face but not human if you get what I mean. Like sort of human but not. There was something off about it.”

“And we caught that on tape?” Dean asked. 

“I think so. I don’t know it wasn’t my first priority,” Roman admits. 

Dean waits a moment before asking his question, “What is your first priority?”

“You.”

That hung in the air for a bit. They were both quiet all of the way to whatever motel they could find. Roman had driven past a few. He said he wanted to put as much distance between them and that playground as he possibly could. They drove past midnight. Roman would’ve driven them all of the way to the next town if Dean hadn’t begged him to stop at a motel and get some rest. Dean wasn’t too sure how he was feeling about the whole thing. Roman just grabbed him and left before Dean even knew what had been going on.

When they finally stopped at a motel Roman made Dean go in to check in with him. They headed in, Dean complaining the whole way. They checked in, got their stuff, and got in their motel room. Once they got in they dropped their stuff down. Dean flopped down face first onto the bed afterwards. Roman on the other hand got the laptop out to start the file transfer process. He pulled out the laptop, the hard drive, and all of the chords and charging cables. He set that all up in the corner of the room before checking out the window and going to sit next to Dean on the bed. Gently he started running a hand through Dean’s hair. 

“You should change,” Roman suggested.

“You should take a shower and relax a bit,” Dean’s voice was muffled by the blanket. 

“I don’t know,” Roman sighed, “Don’t really wanna leave you alone right now.”

“Why? Is protective mode still engaged?” Dean joked.

“Maybe,” Roman said as he continued playing with Dean’s hair. 

“I’ll get in the shower with you,” Dean offered.

That gave Roman pause, “You sure?”

“Yeah,” Dean sat up onto his knees, “You really need to relax and the hot water will help relieve some tension.”

“Alright, just get your shoes off the bed,” Roman ruffled Dean’s hair before standing up off of the bed.

Dean readjusted so he was sitting criss cross before tossing his shoes towards the door.

“Better?” Dean asked, smug grin on his face as he showed Roman his shoeless feet. 

“Much better,” Roman said, “Now c’mon it’s late.”

At that Dean climbed off of the bed and grabbed some clothes to change into out of his bag. Roman had done the same. Dean followed Roman into the bathroom where they both got undressed. Roman had turned the water on for them so it’d be hot when they got in. Dean was the first to undress, partially so he could spend time watching Roman undress. He wasn’t subtle about his staring either. Once Roman noticed he winked at Dean before pushing him towards the shower. 

Dean was the first to step into the shower. Roman followed shortly behind. Dean faced away from the water, effectively blocking it from hitting Roman. Roman grabbed him by both shoulders and turned them both sideways so the water could hit both of them. The shower wasn’t very big. It was just big enough to fit the both of them. Standing so close made Dean start to feel butterflies in his stomach. This moment was intimate. More intimate than Dean had ever been. It felt almost weird to be so intimate. Like intimacy was something Dean didn’t deserve. 

Both stood there looking at each other before Dean turned them so Roman’s back was facing the water instead. Roman exhaled as Dean started to rub his shoulders and chest. Dean wasn’t sure what else to do. Roman was riled up about whatever he’d seen at the playground earlier and Dean wasn’t sure how to help. He guessed just being with Roman was helping since he didn’t seem to want Dean out of his sight. That was going to make things difficult for when they were trying to fall asleep. Almost like it was a trade off from the night before. 

Dean bit his lip as they stood there awkwardly. The intimacy was causing Dean’s cheeks heat up. Sex he could do. The domestic stuff? That was a lot harder for him. Maybe it was because he had never learned. It’s not like he ever saw any of that from his parents. He tried his best to not look away from Roman. It was hard not to just look at his own feet instead. Roman had moved his hands to rest at Dean’s hips as he turned them sideways again. The process was a bit easier now that they were closer together.

By the time they were done Roman seemed to be a bit more relaxed. They had stayed quiet the whole time. Each grabbed their own towel and dried off. Dean hurried back into his clothes, the earlier intimacy still getting to him. When they walked out into the main room Dean went straight for his camera. He picked it up and climbed into bed. Roman wasn’t far behind him in climbing into bed. He sat right up next to Dean with his brow furrowed. 

“What’re you doing?” Roman asked.

“I wanna see what freaked you out so bad,” Dean mumbled.

The footage was long and there was no fast forward button. To watch it on the camera you had to sit through the whole tape. He could watch it on the laptop but the files weren’t done transferring. He knew he’d stopped the process and would have to set it back up, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. It’s not like they didn’t have the time and Dean needed to know now. They sat in silence, barely able to hear the sound on the video. As the tape played Dean found himself holding his breath. 

When the footage rolled to an end Dean could see the face pop up behind him. It hung down from above them, eyes wide and creepy smile. He couldn’t quite make out all of the features even in direct light. It made Dean’s skin crawl. That thing was so close to him. It could’ve just reached out and grabbed him. It wasn’t a shock to him that Roman would’ve freaked out the way he did. Roman’s got a protector thing going that Dean’s not even sure he tries to do. It’s more so in his nature. Like it was something that he was born with rather than something that was learned over the years. It was an endearing trait. Dean had never had anyone feel the need to protect him before. He decided it felt nice even if he didn’t need it. 

“See,” Roman pointed at the screen, “You see what I mean now.”

“Freaks me out less than a whole church disappearing but yes I see what you mean,” Dean said as he set the camera down beside himself. 

“Thing could’ve gotten you,” Roman’s voice showed worry.

Dean hummed, “I’d of been alright.”

“The hell you would’ve,” Roman laughed, “You are seriously lucky I decided to come with you. I can’t even imagine you doing this all on your own.”

“I’m pretty independent,” Dean smiled as he looked at Roman.

“I know,” Roman ruffled Dean’s hair before pulling him in close for a hug.

Dean let himself be pulled, opting to rest his head on Roman’s chest. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. That face is probably something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. More than the church. The church was freaky but the face was bone chilling. The face was something he’d expect to be in the window in the middle of the night. There was something truly disturbing about the face. It wasn’t quite human but it was too human to be anything else. For every bit he hated horror movies he sure was making his life into a series of them. From the elevator to the tracks to the church to the face tonight. All of that and whatever tomorrows demon bridge adventure holds. 

A kiss on the top of his head pulled Dean out of his thoughts. When Dean pulled back he smiled at Roman before picking the camera back up. He had stopped the transfer process meaning he’d have to set it back up. He didn’t really want to get up to do that. The worst part is it hadn’t even been close to done when he pulled it off. It would probably still be transferring when they got up in the morning. In reality it would’ve been better to wait and look it over in the morning. He just needed to know. It was that zoned in on one thing thing getting the better of him again. He really had to work on that. 

“I could kick a ghosts ass,” Dean declared, almost out of nowhere. 

Roman took a minute to answer, clearly caught off guard, “I bet you could.”

“Good ‘cause I can,” Dean stated. 

Roman ruffled Dean’s hair, letting out a small laugh as he did so. 

With the camera in hand Dean slid off of the bed and headed over to where the laptop was set up. He plugged it back in, starting the transfer process and made his way back over to the bed. When he did he grabbed the tv remote as well. He turned on some movie he’d never heard of and let Roman shut off the lights. Getting under the covers he waited for Roman to do the same. Both were sitting, backs against the headboard. Roman had his left arm wrapped around Dean’s waist, holding Dean’s right hand. Dean’s head was on Roman’s shoulder. The tv was playing at a low volume and was the only light in the room. 

By the time the movie had finished Dean was heavy lidded. Another movie started up right after. Dean was trying to hold out for Roman to fall asleep first. After all Roman was the one driving the whole trip. Something about not trusting Dean to be a safe driver. Who was Dean to argue. It was Roman’s car, his rules. Dean would’ve let Roman drive, but Dean’s car was a piece of shit so he guessed that point wasn’t really as valid as he thought. If Roman wanted to drive everywhere then he wanted to drive everywhere. It’s not like it really affected Dean. 

Eventually Dean broke out of Roman’s grip and laid down in the bed. He was starting to get the feeling Roman wouldn’t go to bed until he thought Dean was asleep. So Dean would just have to pretend. Roman was the one who really needed sleep. He was clearly amped up after the whole ghost face thing. Dean would pretend to sleep until Roman fell asleep. Then Dean would let himself get some sleep. Dean was used to working off little sleep, but he knew Roman wasn’t. 

It took a while but eventually he managed to convince Roman that he was asleep. Only then did he feel Roman lay down beside him. Roman pulled Dean close to his chest and Dean snuggled in further. Within an hour and Roman was down and out. Dean only then opened his eyes to check, but it was the evenness of his breath that gave it away. A small smile came to Dean’s lips as he laid back down and finally let himself drift off to sleep.


	17. Demon Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this fics been finished for months so really i have no excuse for not posting. just haven't opened my laptop or looked in this tag in nearly a month i don't know it's all blurring together. thanks to anyone who's supported any of my works i know they're all bad and probably taxing to read. still, i'd rather not leave unfinished fics so hold on only a few more to go on this disaster haha

It was nearly mid day. Neither had fallen asleep until about three in the morning so getting up early had been out of the question. The light was shining through the blinds and directly into Dean’s eyes. He rolled over and hid hid face in Roman’s chest. Roman was still asleep beside him. One of Roman’s arms was around Dean. Falling asleep had been easy.Waking up was the hard part for Dean. He had always had a hard time with it. Actually getting sleep was a rarity for Dean so having it disrupted was hell on earth in his eyes. However once he was awake he was awake, there was no falling back asleep. So after a few more minutes of cuddling against Roman trying to force himself back to sleep Dean let out a grumbling noise and slid out of Roman’s grip.

Normally he would get straight in the shower, but he had already showered the night before with Roman. So showering was out of the question. The only other thing there was to do was get dressed, well that and brush his teeth. He usually did that one before leaving but this morning he figured he’d do it first. Dean grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag and headed into the bathroom. He kept the bathroom door open as he brushed. When he was done he rinsed his mouth out with cold water before packing his toothbrush back away.

The next thing Dean did was pull out some clothes to change into. He remembered Roman saying something about how it looked like it was going to be a cold day where they were headed. So Dean skipped the t-shirt and went straight for a pullover hoodie. It was too big for him by a couple of sizes. Dean wasn’t actually sure where it came from in the first place. He was fairly certain it had been a casualty of an old hookup. Didn’t matter much to Dean though, he’d just wear it anyway. Not like he even remembered who it came from.

He looked over to Roman’s sleeping form and let out a sigh. He pulled some jeans on, doing his belt once they were up. Afterwards he packed his pajamas back up but left his bag unzipped. Dean made his way over to the laptop to check that everything had transferred over. It had. Dean went to unplug it but hesitated for a moment. He opened up the video file and fast forwarded to the part with the face before pausing and taking a good look at it. The image in front of him was entirely unnerving. It’s the kind of thing you’d see as a jumpscare in a horror movie. It’d have probably been Dean dragging Roman out of there if his back hadn’t been turned to the thing.

Dean shook his head and unplugged the thing. He shut it all down and packed it all away. The only thing not packed away was his camera. Dean moved to sit back down on the bed beside Roman’s sleeping form. For a minute Dean considered waking him but decided against it. Instead Dean turned on the tv and watched whatever was playing on the channel from the night before. He kept the volume down low in attempt not to disturb Roman. It wasn’t long until Roman was blinking awake just as Dean had earlier. He sat up and rubbed his eyes as Dean watched. 

“Well good morning,” Dean said, amusement clear in his voice. 

“How long have you been up?” Roman asked as he sat up in bed. 

Dean looked over to the clock on the wall before looking back to Roman, “About an hour.”

“Jesus why didn’t you wake me?” Roman asked, rubbing his eyes a little harder this time.

“Figured you could use the rest,” Dean shrugged, “Anyway it’s too late to actually get breakfast from anywhere but we could stop at a gas station and get coffee and donuts again.”

“Sounds good. Just let me get dressed,” with that Roman stood off the bed and headed for his bag.

While Roman changed Dean pretended to have his attention set on the tv and not Roman’s half naked form. When Roman was done and packed away Dean turned the tv off and got off of the bed. They both grabbed their bags and headed for the car. Packing their stuff in the trunk had gone quick. Roman nearly made Dean go in to check out with him as he had with checking in. A raised eyebrow and smirk from Dean made Roman think twice about it though. While Roman was inside Dean slid into the passenger seat and buckled himself up. 

It wasn’t long until Roman was back out and they were headed to the nearest gas station. Dean headed in to grab the coffee and donuts while Roman put gas in the car. Then they were off to the nearest park to sit on the hood of the car and eat their breakfast. Dean had a cigarette out and in his mouth by the time he was sat down on the hood of the car. He was lighting it as Roman was taking the first sip of his coffee. Dean could feel Roman’s eye on him but he just ignored it. He knew Roman hated the smoking, but Dean wasn’t planning on stopping any time soon. Roman would just have to get over it.

They sat quietly for a while on the roof of the car, just eating and enjoying the light breeze. It was their last official day of travel before they were on their return trip. Dean couldn’t believe it had gone by so fast. One minute they were leaving and the next they were nearly done. This was Dean’s dream and it was nearly accomplished. He couldn’t fathom what that meant. Only a few months had passed since he met Roman and it was like he was living a completely new life. Dean couldn’t believe it. It was all so weird. 

They finished up breakfast and got back in the car. Just like that and they were back on the road. Dean was fidgeting with the radio, trying to find a station to be their backing track. When he finally settled on one he sat back in his seat and considered putting his feet up on the dash. Considered. He didn’t need that lecture again so he thought twice about it. Instead he started fidgeting with his camera. 

“So a demon bridge?” Roman asked, breaking the silence that was between them. 

“Yep,” Dean nodded, “It’s because people summoned a lot of demons on it. That’s what we’re gonna use the ouija board for. Also that’s what the salt and candles are for.”

“You’re trying to talk to a demon,” Roman clarified.

“Yeah, what about it?” Dean didn’t see the issue.

Roman laughed lightly, “You got a lotta nerve for someone who gets scared watching horror movies.”

Dean just shrugged in response, “It it what it is.”

The conversation turned lighter after that. They talked about everything and nothing all at once. Most of the drive was occupied with conversation of how they couldn’t believe this was their last stop. The day slowly died as they drove. By the time they reached their destination the sun had gone down and it was getting dark. The drive hadn’t been that far, but they had only left around noon and that was before breakfast. 

While they were unbuckling Roman clicked on the car light and grabbed the camera. 

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean who’s looking behind the camera at Roman.

Roman can be heard from behind the camera, “So where are we.”

A smile came to Dean’s lips, “We are at a bridge that is supposedly haunted by a demon. There’s a lot of cult activity on this bridge to the point where they shut it down. Apparently a demon was summoned once and now it’s still here. People get dragged off the bridge and shit.”

“And to be clear you intend to try and talk to said demon?” Roman asks.

“Yes but it’d be cool to be dragged off the bridge,” Dean admits.

“Says the guy who gets scared watching horror movies,” Roman teases. 

“Yeah well I’ve got you to protect me so,” Dean winks at Roman.

Roman’s smile can be heard in his voice, “Damn right.”

[end filming]

“Ready?” Dean asked after Roman turned the camera off. 

Roman nodded and with that they both got out of the car. Dean waited for Roman to pop the trunk before he started searching around in his bag for the stuff he’d need. There were a few candles and a thing of salt in a smaller bag along with the ouija board. With everything in hand Dean nodded at Roman who shut the trunk. They made their way onto the bridge where Dean placed the items in his hands on the bridge. He pulled out the salt first, making a large circle on the bridge with it. Next he pulled out the candles, setting them around the circle one at a time. Finally he placed the ouija board in the center and sat down in front of it before lighting the candles with his lighter. Roman stepped inside the circle as well, turning the camera on and setting it on the ground.

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean and Roman sitting on either side of a ouija board. Dean’s lighting a candle directly behind him. 

“Is that filming?” Dean asks as he turns back towards Roman.

“Yeah,” Roman nods.

“Good,” Dean moves his hands to rest on the planchette.

Roman mimicks the movement. 

“Um, hello. If there’s any spirits with us we just want to talk. My name is Dean,”

Dean moves the planchette around the board spelling D E A N.

“And this is Roman,”

Dean moves the planchette around the board again. R O M A N.

Dean kept at asking questions. He covered all of the generic bases. They weren’t getting much in response. The planchette only moves when Dean moves it to spell things out in attempt to encourage conversation. His attempts were futile though. The thing wasn’t moving no matter what he asked or said. Each question showed a sliver of frustration in Dean’s voice. 

“Do you want us to leave you alone?” Dean asks.

This time the planchette moves over to the no. Dean shoots his head up to Roman.

“Did you do that? Are you fucking with me?” Dean asks, paranoia evident in his voice.

“I thought you were moving it as an excuse to stay and investigate more,” Roman laughed.

“Well it’s not responding but it doesn’t want us to go. Are you sure you didn’t move it?” Dean rambles.

“Fairly certain,” Roman says. Serious this time.

Before Dean got the chance to respond an man starts walking onto the bridge. He’s only a silhouette but his humming catches the attention of the two. Dean’s head snaps to the side where as Roman’s turns slightly. The man stands looking at them for a couple of moments. They’re all quiet, nobody moves.

“Little lambs shouldn’t play with such dangerous toys. Even when they have a brute around to protect them,” the man drawls. 

Dean tenses visibly and Roman reaches across the board for Dean’s hand. Dean relaxes slightly at the gesture. Roman’s rubbing small circles on Dean’s hand with his thumb. The man stands there smiling at them. 

“What did you call him?” Roman challenges. 

“Little lamb?” the man asks, but he clearly knows what Roman meant.

“That’s the one,” Roman grits out, “Look I don’t know what that means but I suggest you get out of here and leave us alone.”

“Roman,” Dean tries.

“Be a creep to someone else,” Roman finishes.

The man just chuckles lightly, “Such a pretty little lamb.”

“Alright, fuck this,” Roman says and then the screen goes black

[end filming]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for not giving up on me :)


	18. You're Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> emotionally i've lived many years therefore upload schedule no longer matters  
> enjoy!!

Roman shut the camera off. He stood up and made a move for the guy. Dean grabbed him by the ankle and gave him a look. Roman stilled as Dean silently pleaded with him to let it go. It wasn’t that Dean had a problem with confrontation. Not normally at least. Right now though there was something chilling about the guy. Little lamb. Dean had heard that before. It was escaping him where at the moment, but he had definitely been called that before. It was even worse that he felt like it was the same voice calling him little lamb. It couldn't be could it? No there was no way it was the same voice. 

“Let’s just go,” Dean mumbled as he stood to his feet as well. 

Roman gave him a look before nodding.

“Oh but I just got here. Why leave so soon little lamb?” the man pressed on. 

“Call him that one more time and I’ll knock your teeth down your throat,” Roman threatened. 

Dean smacked Roman’s chest but the man just laughed. 

“Now now. There’s no need for that,” the man’s voice was a drawl. 

“We’re leaving,” Roman announced. 

“Wait,” Dean grabbed his arm, “We need to close out the board.”

“So soon?” the man asked, almost as if he was disappointed.

Dean and Roman both ignored the man and sat back down. Out of the corner of his eye Dean noticed the man vanish into the woods as they closed out the board. That wasn’t a good sign. In fact it was a very bad sign. It meant he was probably somehow linked to the board. Still the little lamb comment shook Dean to his very core. He had heard it before, where had he heard it before? He couldn’t get that question out of his mind. Where had he heard it before? 

As quick as they could manage the two packed everything up and left. They were quiet in Roman’s car. The only indication that they were both on edge was the grip Roman had on Dean’s knee. Carefully Dean removed Roman’s hand from his knee and thread their fingers together instead. Roman brought up Dean’s hand and kissed the back of it before dropping their hands down, still intertwined. That brought more of an ease between them. 

On the way to the motel Roman made a stop. He made Dean wait out in the car which was a contrast to when the ghost appeared behind Dean. Roman promised he would be quick and that he just didn’t want Dean to see what he was buying. Something about it being a surprise. Dean decided not to put up a fight and instead sat in the car chewing the bed of his thumbnail. When Roman re emerged it was with a bag in hand. Roman set it beside his own feet and started towards a motel they could stay in for the night. Dean side eyed him but otherwise said nothing. 

The motel was a different story. Roman made Dean go in with him there. Dean had rolled his eyes but followed along anyway. When they were inside Dean just kicked at the ground and looked at the paintings. Roman checked them in then they headed back out to the car. When they got out there Roman popped the trunk and they got their stuff. Roman grabbed the bag from the from as well. Dean was trying his best to figure out what was in it by the way it sat in the bag. It didn’t look like much, definitely nothing too heavy or big. It wasn’t until the were inside that Dean gave in and started asking questions again.

“C’mon what is it?” Dean asked.

“You’ll see,” Roman shrugged as he set both bags down.

“What is it? What’re you doing?” Dean set his bag down and headed over towards Roman.

Roman wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist and kissed his temple, “Marking my territory.”

“Marking your territory?” Dean laughed as he wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck.

“Yeah,” Roman kissed Dean on the lips this time, “Marking my territory.”

“And what? I’m your territory?” Dean asked, half joking.

Roman nodded, “That creep can’t have you, you’re mine.”

You’re mine. That played over in Dean’s head again. That creep can’t have you, you’re mine. The tone of Roman’s voice let Dean know that Roman really meant it too. He was starting to get the idea of what was in the bag afterall. Roman kissed him again before walking the two of them towards the bed. Roman pushed Dean onto the bed when they hit it. Dean scooted up so he could sit up on the bed and tossed his shoes to the side. Roman kicked his shoes off as well. 

Roman griped the hem of Dean’s shirt and pulled it up over his head. While Roman discarded his own shirt Dean stood and undid his belt, kicking his pants off once he sat back down. Roman pushed down on Dean’s shoulders until his back was flush against the bed. Roman stood between Dean’s legs and watched him for a moment before leaning down and kissing him softly. Dean grabbed both sides of Roman’s face to deepen the kiss. Roman rubbed along Dean’s sides, squeezing a bit at his hips. 

Roman hooked his fingers under the waistband of Dean’s underwear and pulled down. Dean lifted his hips to let Roman pull them off. For a moment after he did they both just took a minute to really look at each other. Dean pushed up on Roman’s chest so he would stand up. When Roman stepped back Dean sat up and started undoing Roman’s jeans. He shoved them down before mouthing at the fabric of Roman’s underwear. 

“Good god you’re hot,” Roman mumbled as he pushed Dean back down on the bed. 

Dean smiled up at Roman once his back hit the bed, “I’m also impatient so hurry up.”

“Nah, think I’ll take my time with you,” Roman patted Dean’s thigh.

Dean pouted and watched as Roman pulled lube and a box of condoms out of the bag. Now that was what Dean wanted to see. Roman opened the box and pulled one out, setting both that and the lube on the bedside table. Dean sat up again only to be pushed back down. Dean rolled his eyes as he felt Roman grab his wrists and pin them above his head. 

“I’m gonna have to hold you down if I want to take this slow huh?” Roman said with a laugh.

Dean nodded, “You’re gonna have to hold me down anyway because it’s hot.”

“Is that so?” Roman started kissing along Dean’s neck. 

Dean hummed, “Yup.”

“You seem to like talking as well,” Roman teased.

“Oh yeah I’m real loud too,” Dean tilted his head to give Roman better access.

“Yeah,” Roman bit down on Dean’s shoulder, “We gonna get a noise complaint?”

Roman started kissing down Dean’s chest, sucking in the right nipple before kissing over and sucking in the left. Dean was trying his best to arch into Roman’s kisses. 

“Oh most definitely if it feels as big in my ass as it did in my mouth,” Dean was looking down at Roman. 

Roman looked up at Dean with one eyebrow raised and a smile on his face. Dean was smirked back. Roman shook his head and bit down on one of Dean’s nipples. That wiped the smug look off of Dean’s face. Roman kissed back up to Dean’s mouth before repeating the kissing pattern back down to Dean’s chest. 

“If I let go are you gonna keep them there?” Roman asked.

Dean took a second to think about the answer, “Probably not.”

Roman let go of Dean’s hands and Dean kept them in place crossed at the wrists above his head. Roman waited a moment before kissing down Dean’s stomach. He started biting along Dean’s hip bone and Dean was trying his best not to squirm. He kept his hands up above his head while Roman licked and bit. He really wanted Roman to hurry up. He’d never been able to be patient and he wasn’t about to start. He got it Roman wanted to keep it slow. Dean however would appreciate if Roman went a little faster. 

“Can you hurry up?” Dean whined, “Please?”

Roman caved with the please, grabbing the bottle of lube off the bedside table and popping it open. Roman squeezed out a bit of lube. He coated two fingers before situating himself between Dean’s thighs. Roman kissed both of Dean’s thighs before pressing one finger to Dean’s entrance. Dean squirmed a bit as Roman pressed that finger inside of Dean. He went slow as he pushed the finger in and Dean might’ve said something if he wasn’t afraid Roman would stop. So Dean bit his tongue instead. 

With one finger inside of Dean Roman started kissing along the inside of Dean’s thigh. Soon enough one finger became two. The pace was slow and deliberate. Dean tried his best to stay still he really did, but still his hands found Roman’s hair. He pulled out the hair tie, letting it fall around his own wrist. Roman was sucking marks into Dean’s inner thighs while fingering him gently. 

“God it’s good just, hurry up,” Dean pleaded. 

“Aw what happened to your manners?” Roman teased.

Dean let out a throaty whine, “Please hurry up.”

“Good boy,” Roman kissed Dean’s thigh again.

After a little while longer Roman pulled out his fingers. Dean whined at the loss but Roman pulling off his underwear kept Dean from complaining. Roman gave himself a couple of strokes before picking the condom up. He opened it and rolled it over his dick before picking up the lube and adding a layer of that. Dean bit his lip as he watched. After a few more strokes Roman lined up his dick with Dean’s entrance. Dean gripped the bed sheets below him as Roman began to push in slowly. He was being gentle. Dean hated that, it wasn’t like he was going to break. He didn’t say anything about it though. If Roman wanted to be careful with him there really wasn’t much Dean could do to stop him. It wasn’t worth the risk of ending this altogether. Especially since it was just getting started.

When Roman was in all of the way he stilled, giving Dean time to adjust. Dean was gasping lightly for air, eyes squeezed shut and arm thrown over them. His chest was rising and falling quickly while Roman waited. Soon enough Dean gave Roman a nod and Roman started thrusting. It was slow at first, gentle. Short shallow thrusts in and out. Dean moved his arm from over his eyes, grasping the sheets below him instead. He brought his legs up to wrap around Roman’s waist, trying to get more. Roman leaned down and started kissing at Dean’s neck again. Dean was moaning and squirming, making good on his earlier promise to be loud. 

“Fucking harder,” Dean gasped out.

Roman pulled back slowly before quickly slamming back in. Dean was pretty sure he saw stars on that one.

“Fucking please again harder,” Dean whined as he arched up off of the bed.

Roman obliged and did it again but harder. The he did it again. And again. Soon enough and that was the pace. Slow pull outs and fast slam ins. It didn’t take long for them to both get close and all of a sudden Roman’s pull outs were just as fast as the thrusts in. Roman had started stroking Dean at the same pace he was fucking him at. There wasn’t much more than a garbled warning before Dean was cumming all over his own chest and Roman’s hand. Roman wasn’t far behind Dean, the tightening of his walls being enough to pull Roman over the edge. Roman rode out his orgasm with jittery thrusts before collapsing beside Dean on the bed. Dean would have to send that creep a thank you note or something.


	19. It's Been Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fun fact! this story was written in the color purple! enjoy!

“Fuck,” Dean gasped out after a moment of silence.

Roman was lying beside him on the bed, condom still on his softening dick. That was one hell of a way to round out their final night of filming. All that was left on their trip was the return ride home. The only thing left to film was a conclusion then they were on to editing the footage. It was over. Dean had filmed all the evidence he was going to. He had lived his dream, the one he had been putting off. Not only did he live it, but he lived it with Roman. His boyfriend? Boyfriend. 

A few months prior and he didn’t even know Roman. It was just dumb luck that they had been put on the same shift. Now here Dean was laying naked next to him. Dean was pretty sure he had dreamt all of this. He didn’t deserve anything like this. Roman was perfect for him. Maybe it was an apology from the universe for what he had to deal with leading up to this point. All he knew was that he had Roman now and he was never letting him go. 

Dean rolled over and snuggled up against Roman’s chest. They were both covered in a layer of sweat and Dean still had cum on his stomach. They needed a shower. Bad. For now though Dean would enjoy the way Roman’s arm felt around his waist as Dean buried his face in Roman. They stayed like that for a few moments, neither wanted to move. 

“Yeah,” Roman breathed as he ran a hand through Dean’s sweat soaked hair. 

A few more moments passed by like that. Dean with his face buried in Roman’s chest and Roman petting Dean’s hair. Neither wanted to get up or even move, but it was non negotiable. 

“We need to shower,” Roman mumbled.

“Don’t wanna move,” Dean’s voice was muffled by Roman’s skin.

“I’ll carry you,” Roman offered.

Dean was quiet for a moment before responding, “Fine.” 

“Alright,” Roman patted Dean’s head.

Roman slid out from underneath Dean and stood up off the bed. Gently he rolled off the condom and tied it at the end. He tossed the condom in the trash and made his way into the bathroom. From the bathroom Dean heard the shower start up before he saw Roman reappear after a few moments. Roman made his way over to Dean who was still on the bed. Dean only put up a little bit of a fight when Roman rolled him over back onto his back. Roman made good on his promise to carry Dean. He pulled Dean up to his feet before picking him up. Dean wrapped his legs around Roman waist as they made their way into the bathroom. Still carrying Dean Roman stepped into the shower.

“You can get down now,” Roman laughed.

“No,” Dean shook his head.

“Didn’t peg you for the clingy type,” Roman teased.

“Shuddup,” Dean mumbled.

After a few more minutes Roman finally managed to pry Dean off of himself with the promise of cuddling in bed after. Truth be told things would go a lot faster with Dean on his own feet. Dean just didn’t want to admit that right now. Roman made him face the water and clean off all the now dried cum that was on his stomach. They didn’t take very long in the shower, both were too tired to actually do anything beside clean themselves off with soap. When they got out they both dried off with towels before making their way out into the main room again. 

Dean went straight to his bag and pulled out some clothes to put on. Along the way he picked up Roman’s shirt from earlier. He pulled on Roman’s shirt and a pair of underwear before climbing under the covers. Roman pulled on a pair of sweatpants and climbed in bed beside Dean. Immediately Dean snuggled over to Roman. Almost instinctively Roman’s arm went around Dean’s waist and pulled him even closer. 

“Is that my shirt?” Roman asked quietly.

“Mhm,” Dean nodded against Roman’s chest, “Why?”

“Could’ve gotten you a clean one,” Roman laughed lightly.

Dean shook his head, “Too late.”

Roman gave Dean a squeeze. Dean was out almost as soon as they stopped talking. It had been a long trip. A really long trip. After tonight he didn’t have any energy to keep himself awake with. It was nice to just fall asleep for once. All the energy in his body left with his orgasm. With his face buried in the crook of Roman’s neck Dean fell asleep. Roman wasn’t far behind him. He checked to make sure Dean was really asleep before allowing himself to fall asleep. Roman’s alarm was set on his plugged in phone. He set it a little later. They were in no rush and had no obligations. In the morning they were getting up to head home. Back to their real lives and out of this fantasy world. 

In the morning it was the sound of Roman’s alarm that woke Dean. At first Dean just snuggled further into Roman’s chest. After a couple of more minutes Dean groaned and tried to shake Roman awake.

“Turn it the fuck off,” Dean groaned. 

Roman only hummed lightly in response.

“Roman turn it off,” Dean shoved at Roman’s chest.

Finally Roman began to stir, “You do it.”

“It’s your alarm,” Dean mumbled against Roman’s chest.

Roman sighed but got out from underneath Dean. Dean whined lightly at the loss of body heat while Roman went to shut the alarm off. Dean snuggled into the pillow, trying to force himself back to sleep. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. Roman seemed to have other plans.

“Might as well go get breakfast now,” Roman’s voice was heavy with sleep.

“No get back in bed,” Dean mumbled, eyes closed still.

Roman laughed as he made his way back to the bed, ”C’mon get up.”

“No,” Dean swatted away Roman’s hands.

“You’re really not a morning person huh?” Roman pulled the blanket off of Dean.

“No,” Dean curled in on himself in attempt to regain warmth.

“Alright,” Roman put his hands up and went over to his bag.

Looked like he opted to getting himself ready to give Dean a few more minutes of sleep. Dean pulled the blanket back over himself. It was nice to lay there in quiet with his eyes shut. There was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep. He just wasn’t ready to wake up yet. By the time Roman finished getting ready Dean had opened his eyes. 

“Gonna bring this out to the car,” Roman held up his bag.

Dean gave him the thumbs up. It wasn’t until Roman was gone that Dean got out of bed and started getting himself ready for the day. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a flannel and pulled them on. After that he slid his cigarettes into his pocket and zipped the bag back up. Dean grabbed his bag and met Roman outside. Dean dropped his bag in the trunk and took a seat on the hood of the car. Roman came to sit next to him as Dean lit a cigarette.Dean inhaled the smoke, letting it fill his lungs slowly. When he breathed out he could feel Roman watching him. 

“What?” Dean turned to look at Roman. 

“How do you feel?” Roman asked gently.

“What do you mean?” Dean furrowed his brow.

“I mean this was your dream and now it’s over. So how do you feel?” Roman reiterated.

Dean shrugged, “It’s not exactly over yet.”

“Right,” Roman slid off the hood of the car, “Hold on a minute.”

Dean watched Roman pop the trunk and receive the camera out of the back. When Roman got back on the hood he started filming.

[filming…]

The camera is on Dean who’s smoking a cigarette and looking behind the camera.

“Thoughts on last night?” Roman asked from behind the camera.

“I’m sore,” Dean deadpans.

Roman reaches in front of the camera and smacks Dean’s knee.

“Not what I meant,” Roman says.

Dean rolls his eyes and takes a drag of his cigarette.

After a moment Dean speaks again, “Glad you didn’t kill that guy.”

“Yeah well you wouldn’t let me,” Roman rubs Dean’s thigh.

Suddenly the look of recognition crosses his face, “The church.”

“What about it?” Roman responds.

“That’s where I’ve heard little lamb before. When I was in the confession booth. This is gonna sound crazy. Some southern dude called me little lamb. I think it was the same guy. What if it was a demon. I swear I caught it on tape the first time,” Dean rambles excitedly.

“You’re telling me I could’ve fought a demon because of you?” Roman pokes Dean’s side.

“Would you have fought a demon for me?” Dean asks, voice small.

“I was about to until you stopped me,” Roman says.

Dean turns his head away, a faint blush rising to his cheeks.

“Shut the camera off,” Dean muttered.

[end filming]

Dean’s face was hot. He was blushing. There’s no way he wasn’t. That bastard would’ve fought a demon for him. It usually took a lot to make Dean blush, but genuine affection was a fast track to it. It was cheating and it wasn’t fair. Roman seemed proud of himself too. Dean chose to ignore that and focus on his cigarette instead. It was far more interesting than the new found silence between them anyway. Dean inhaled more smoke and blew it out away from Roman. Roman whose hand had moved to rest on Dean’s knee. Dean smiled a bit to himself at that. 

“I’m gonna go check us out,” Roman said as he let go of Dean’s knee.

Dean nodded and watched as Roman walked off. He was alone in the morning air with his cigarette and his thoughts. Everything was so bittersweet. On one hand this was the greatest thing to ever happen to him. On the other hand it was over. He wasn’t sure he was ready for it to be yet. There was no certainty of what would happen after. He was subject to whatever the future held. There was an underlying fear that it would all go to shit when they returned to the real life. That Dean would end up all alone again. He didn’t want that. God he didn’t want that.

Roman reappearing from the main office snapped Dean out of his thoughts. Roman gave him a smile as he approached. Dean dropped the cigarette to the ground and slid off the car to stomp it out. When Roman got close Dean pulled him in for a tight hug. Dean squeezed tight. Roman seemed caught off guard at first but soon brought a hand up to rest in Dean’s hair. His other arm was wrapped around Dean’s waist. They stayed holding each other in the parking lot for a little while longer. Dean didn’t really want to let go. The longer he could hold Roman the longer their perfect little trip would last. 

Eventually though he did have to let go. Roman kissed him on the top of the head before they separated. Dean put his head down and went straight to the passenger seat. Roman got into the drivers seat and they were off. Dean turned on the the radio in hopes Roman wouldn’t ask about the hug. Dean wasn’t sure what his answer would be. Sorry I’m just afraid you’ll leave me when we get home? That sounded pathetic he couldn’t say that. It didn’t matter anyway, they were on their way to finding a place to have breakfast. It would probably be another diner. That seemed to be their thing. Diners. They met and worked in one so Dean guessed it made sense. If it wasn’t for the ghost at work they wouldn’t have gone on this trip. Dean guessed he owed that ghost a thank you for giving him Roman.


	20. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay final stretch! enjoy!!

There had been a diner not far from their motel. They didn’t hesitate to stop in. It was a local place. Those were always better. Their whole trip had just been small town after small town. Aside from the second night at the hotel of course. Dean was surprised that lady from the elevator didn’t haunt his dreams. He guessed there was just so much going on on the trip beside that that she didn’t get time to haunt his dreams for very long. Soon enough there was something new haunting his dreams instead. That was the name of the game he guessed.

When they stopped at the diner they waited a moment before heading inside. They sat at a booth across from each other drinking their coffee while their order was being made in the kitchen. They were talking about nothing in particular. This was easy. Everything about them was easy. It was almost as if this was what they had always meant to be doing. Like they were always meant to end up right where they were. Like there was no other place they could be. Dean had never exactly been one for believing in soulmates. This trip might’ve changed his mind on that subject though. What else could Roman be?

“That’s a ton of sugar Dean,” Roman commented.

Dean was in the middle of pouring sugar into his second cup of coffee. Technically speaking he really didn’t need to be having a second cup. He had picked up all five packets of sugar and went to pour them into his cup oblivious to Roman watching him. When he heard Roman’s voice his movements stilled and he looked up at Roman.

“You’re still on that?” Dean asked with a laugh.

“I don’t know what you’re more hopped up on, the caffeine or the sugar,” Roman took a sip of his own drink.

Dean finished dumping the sugar into the mug, “Boo, get new material.”

“It’s true,” Roman shrugged.

“Well I need the energy. You fucked all of mine out of me last night,” Dean said as he poured some creamer into his coffee.

Roman kicked Dean under the table, “Dean.”

The smile on Dean’s face reached ear to ear as he looked back up at Roman.

“Yeah?” Dean feigned innocence.

“Situational awareness,” Roman warned.

Dean rolled his eyes at that, “Whatever.”

It wasn’t long until their food had arrived. Dean gulped down the rest of his second cup of coffee only to have Roman tell him he wasn’t aloud a third. Instead he made Dean order a glass of water to go with the rest of his meal. Roman said he didn’t need the caffeine or the sugar. Dean could’ve argued he did need the caffeine and sugar but he didn’t, but Roman was probably right about it anyway. Two cups would be plenty. 

They finished up their meal, paid, and headed out. Now all that was left was the drive back and however long that took them. Given they were a week away it would probably take a few days to get back given they had no stops to make aside from food. The first day driving back was just like every other day on the trip. They drove with the radio down low as they talked and laughed over it. Occasionally Dean would turn up the radio and sing obnoxiously. He’d also try again to put his feet on the dash and again Roman scolded him for it. Again he’d roll his eyes but put his feet down regardless. 

They had to stop for gas once. Dean had gotten out to smoke a cigarette before they were back on their way home. They stopped in at another motel around midnight. They were trying to bang out as much of the trip in one shot as they could. This time when Dean changed it was into one of Roman’s clean shirts as opposed to the dirty one from the day before. They got up early and headed back out again. This time when they stopped for breakfast they hurried their way through it. They weren’t exactly in a rush to get home, but they were in a rush to get off the road and getting home was the only way to end their travel.

Day two was filled with a lot more singing along to the radio. It was mostly Dean singing and Roman humming. Sometimes Dean would be a bit too loud on purpose. Roman never did anything more than side eye Dean for that. So Dean kept up doing it every now and again. They hadn’t really talked since breakfast, just sat in the car enjoying each others company. By the time they stopped for lunch they still hadn’t. While they were stopped Dean noticed Roman watching him intently with a soft look on his face.

“What?” Dean questioned.

“You’re cute,” Roman shrugged.

“Shaddup,” Dean blushed and tried to hide it.

After lunch they were back on the road. They weren’t stopped for very long. The rest of the way to wherever they would decide to stop for dinner was spent chattering away. The radio played low in the background as they made their way through town after town. Occasionally they’d drive through a city or two, but it was mostly small towns. Dinner passed by without incident and they didn’t stop again until they spotted a motel at one in the morning. 

Roman was the one to get them checked in while Dean pulled their bags out of the trunk. When Roman came back out Dean was waiting for him at the lobby door and they made their way to their room for the night. Dean dropped their bags at the door, opting to just take his jeans off and climb into bed. Roman on the other hand decided to change into pajamas before climbing into bed beside Dean. They fell asleep watching some movie neither of them had ever heard of. 

In the morning Roman was already in the shower by the time Dean woke up. Roman gave Dean a kiss on the top of his head when they passed by each other on Dean’s way into the bathroom. When Dean got under the warm spray of the water it occurred to him that he’d have to go back to rushing in and out of the shower soon enough. That was one of the few things he’d really miss about the trip. That and being with Roman all of the time. Living alone again was going to be a bummer to get used to. Or get re used to.

He’d been alone most of his life so why did he all of a sudden hate the sound of it. Roman really had just walked in and rearranged his whole life. Dean sighed and turned to face the water. He rubbed at his face, scrubbing it with water before turning back around and letting the water run down his back. It was only a few more moments until he was getting out of the shower. Dean stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself. Roman was already ready to go when Dean came out to get dressed. Once Dean was dressed again they were off for breakfast. 

They picked up some coffee and some breakfast sandwiches and stopped at a park. Both were sitting on the hood of the car eating and looking out at a nearby pond. It was nice to just sit outside and be. They’d done this a few times on the trip but somehow this felt different. This was possibly the last time they’d do this on the trip. Something about t felt sad. There was a heavy feeling in his chest that came with the end of a good thing. He wasn’t ready for it to end, but he was also ready to see what the universe held next. At the end of it he got to keep Roman and there was always time to find a new dream or goal to achieve. Skipping town wasn’t on the agenda anymore. It hadn’t been since he took off with Roman. It occured to Dean that he’d never want to take off again if it wasn’t with Roman. 

“You excited to get home?” Roman asked suddenly.

Dean shook his head, “I don’t know. Excited to get home but not for this to end.”

“Well why not?” Roman’s question was easy, gentle.

“Just one of those things,” Dean fidgeted a bit.

He chewed on his thumbnail for a moment before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Roman takes a drink of his coffee as he watches Dean. Dean smoked his cigarette until they were finished breakfast then they were off and back on the road. Dean chewed on his finger for nearly an hour. He couldn’t just tell Roman he was scared of him abandoning Dean as soon as he had better options. They just got together Dean didn’t want to scare him off.

The rest of the day went by. They stopped at a motel around midnight and got to bed. In the morning they hit the road again. The closer they got to home the sadder the tone in the car became. The trip was about to be over and then they’d be back off to their real lives. Back to working at the diner and sleeping alone. Dean wasn’t sure if he’d be able to fall asleep for the first couple of nights. Roman’s arms just felt so safe and comfortable and like home. Or at least it was what Dean imagined home should feel like.

By the time they started rolling back into town Roman grabbed Dean’s hand and held it tight. Dean felt his heart sink a little bit as they made their way into his driveway. Roman popped the trunk and they both got out. Dean searched around for his house key before zipping it back up. Roman stopped Dean from picking it up, instead deciding to carry it for Dean. Dean felt the back of his neck heat up at that. Roman didn’t drop the bag until they were in Dean’s room. When Roman did drop the bag they both just stood in silence for a bit.

“So that’s that,” Roman commented as he looked around.

“Guess so,” Dean put his hands in his pockets, “Feels weird.”

“Yeah. It does,” Roman agreed, “C’mere.”

Roman pulled Dean close and ran a hand through Dean’s hair. Neither actually wanted to leave the other. Dean was afraid that if Roman left it would all become like a fever dream. The feeling of Roman kissing the top of his head made Dean look up and place a kiss on Roman’s lips. They stayed their hugging for a while longer. Parting was going to be the hardest part of being home, but it was something that needed to happen. 

“I think you’ve gotta go,” Dean mumbled into Roman’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Roman agreed.

“I don’t want you to,” the words left Dean’s mouth before he could even stop them.

Roman shushed Dean, “I don’t want to either.”

“You could always stay for the night,” Dean offered.

“If you want me to.”

If you want me to. What kind of response was that of course Dean wanted him to. Roman would stay forever if Dean had it his way.

“Wouldn’t have offered it otherwise,” Dean leaned back in Roman’s arms.

“Then I should go get my bag,” Roman smiled and placed another kiss to Dean’s lips. 

Dean let go of Roman then. It took Roman an extra few seconds to let go of Dean though. When he did Dean followed him back out to the car. Once they were all settled they ordered a pizza that they had to go get in 20 minutes. When they got back Dean placed the box on the shelf and took a slice. They spent the rest of the night watching movies before falling asleep together in Dean’s bed. Tomorrow Roman would have to go home. Until then Dean would enjoy his company.


	21. Night Shift pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well well well, here we are. we've reached the end. a bumpy ride, but a ride nonetheless. thank you to everyone who read it and i hope you enjoyed!!

Roman had to leave. Of course he did, Dean knew that. It was just sad to see him go. For the first time in a little over a week Dean was alone. He was laying on the couch watching whatever movie was playing on tv. He had work again in a couple of days. Back to the night shift. Until then he could just lounge around the house. It’s something he would’ve really enjoyed even a week ago. He was just too adjusted to having someone with him after a week of not being alone. 

Before Dean was so sure that being a loner was the way to go. Now he wasn’t so sure. Roman had completely changed his mind on that front. Once Roman came into the picture it was like Dean’s whole life changed. It felt like it should’ve been more dramatic. Instead of any grand meeting it was just a regular night at work. Yet it had managed to change everything. Even Dean’s world view shifted slightly. It was like he saw everything clearer now. Roman had come in and did everything he could to make Dean’s dreams come true. 

Now Roman was headed to visit his family for the rest of the summer. Roman had stopped over once more before heading off. Dean was sure he’d be fine with Roman being gone, but that didn’t mean he wanted him to. Their relationship was still new and it would’ve been nice to explore it a bit more. It would be a lie to say they didn’t spend most of Roman’s last night screwing. The second time managing to be even better than the first. Dean wasn’t entirely sure how that was even possible. Maybe it was because it wasn’t a spur of the moment. Roman had come over with the intent which gave Dean butterflies in his stomach.

Roman liked Dean. Of course he did. Dean was just too stubborn to see it at first. You don’t just take off with someone you barely know if you don’t like them. That’s exactly what Roman had done. There was really no other reason for Roman to just let Dean blabber on for hours about whatever had gotten on his mind. Then there was making Dean share a bed at the hotel over a slightly misplaced ceiling tile. Obviously Roman liked him. It was obvious and Dean was just stubborn. Dean wished he had just realized it sooner. 

Dean sighed and turned off the tv. He was bored and there was so much on his mind. Maybe a run would do him some good. So he changed into some shorts and took off down the road for a run. He ran for a few miles, just trying to clear his head a bit. It seemed to be doing the trick. Usually did. Running occupied a lot of Dean’s attention which is why he liked doing it so much. That and it kept him in shape, but that was just an added bonus.

The first thing Dean did when he got back was hop in the shower. He was coated in a thick layer of sweat. He tossed his clothes into the hamper and got in, making sure there was a towel for when he got out. Inside the shower was burning hot. He’d gotten so used to functioning showers that he’d completely forgotten just how janky his own was. He hadn’t really showered since they got back from their trip, just once when Roman made him get in after sex. Other than that this was the first time Dean had showered. It was a weird contrast from showering everyday to showering every couple of days. That’s what he had been doing before the trip and that’s what he was doing again.

Dean washed his hair and his body, both with soap, before getting out. He blotted off the water on his skin and wrapped the towel around his waist. He made his way into the bedroom and started to get dressed. Roman had left a couple of shirts at Dean’s house. Dean pulled one of those on along with some sweatpants before grabbing his laptop and hard drive and heading back out into the living room. 

He plopped down on the couch and opened up the laptop. After plugging in the hard drive he opened it up and started going through the footage. There was hours of footage to go through but it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Maybe it was a bit time consuming, but that was part of the process. In fact that’s what he spend the next couple of days doing. He barely slept and barely ate. His laser focus was getting the better of him and he knew it. 

So he went for another run. This time he took much longer. He’d been staring at a screen for far too long. Screens weren’t something he was used to looking at anyway. It was nice to take a mental and physical break. The feeling of wind on his sweat soaked body felt nice. When he got back home again his head was clearer and he felt refreshed. Energized. The first thing he did when he got back was shower. After that he got out, got dressed, and made himself some lunch. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he started eating. When he was done with lunch he decided on a nap. Once again he hadn’t realized just how tired he was until he woke up a few hours later with no idea where he was. He had gone down hard.

When he woke up he decided on watching a little bit tv. Just something to turn his brain off to and relax. The house was quiet and he found himself missing Roman all over again. Eventually he dozed off watching some sitcom replay and woke up again in the morning. This time when he woke up he decided to go on a morning run instead. He needed to rebuild a routine. He’d probably be waking up later again but right now there was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep. When he got back from his run he showered and started on breakfast. He still hadn’t gone grocery shopping so cereal it was. The milk wasn’t going bad until tomorrow thankfully. He only remembered to check after he’d poured it in. 

He sat down with his bowl in front of his laptop and combed through more footage. He had work later tonight so he couldn’t allow himself to get too caught up in the process. He spent the rest of the day focusing on finishing up watching the footage. Before he knew it time had ticked away and it was time to get ready for work. He had no idea who he was on with tonight but he was bummed it wasn’t Roman. Dean made his way into the bedroom and changed into some work clothes. As soon as he was done he shut down the laptop and headed out to his car. It’d been a while since he’d driven it last. 

The ride to the diner he had the radio playing softly. Being alone in the car felt wrong. Not bad, just not right. There was no conversation to carry but still he kept the radio low. Like if it was too loud it’d clog his thoughts. The night was still. He’d made this drive tens of times, maybe even a hundred by now. Well probably not a hundred. Dean hadn’t been in town nearly long enough for it to have been a hundred but it was definitely up there. When he pulled into the parking lot he noticed a familiar car parked out front. 

Dean parked next to it and took a really good look at it. There was absolutely no way. He shook his head and headed into the diner. Once he got inside he saw him. Roman was sitting in their booth with a plate in front of him and a plate across from him. Dean stopped in his tracks for a moment. He shook his head and went to clock in. When he came back out Roman was still there. Dean smiled to himself and took a seat across from Roman.

“Thought you were visiting family,” Dean leaned back in his seat, arms crossed.

Roman laughed lightly, “Decided to come back. Switched shifts with someone so I could surprise you. Eat, I put extra fries on your plate.”

Dean looked down at the plate and then back at Roman, “How’d you know I hadn’t eaten?”

“It was a guess,” Roman shrugged.

Dean picked up a fry and took a bite, “It was a correct guess.” 

“Figured it would be. You tend to eat here instead of at home,” Roman took a sip of his drink. 

“Free meal,” Dean pointed a fry at Roman.

Roman just smiled back at him. Dean returned the smile after taking a bite of the fry in his hand. They sat there and ate in silence for a bit. At some point Dean got up and made a pot of coffee and when he came back he pour some coffee into both of their mugs. When Dean got back he picked up five packets of sugar and poured them in at the same time. Roman had poured in just the one. Dean also dumped a bit of creamer into his before taking a slow sip. When he set it back down he leaned forward. 

“What no comment?” Dean asked smugly.

“I think I’ve commented on it enough,” Roman shook his head.

Dean waited for a few seconds.

“I mean it’s a lot of sugar,” Roman finally commented.

A large smile crept onto Dean’s face, “I knew it.”

“Whatever,” Roman shook his head with a smile. 

Dean tossed a fry onto Roman’s plate and Roman tossed one back. They laughed and went back to eating. After a while Dean broke the silence again.

“Why’d you come back?” Dean asked softly.

“Couldn’t leave you on your own,” Roman’s answer was genuine. 

Dean nearly blushed at that. He felt his face heat up a little bit. He rubbed the back of his neck before eating another fry. Couldn’t leave you alone. Roman couldn’t leave him alone. Before Dean got the chance to respond there was a loud banging noise in the kitchen. The look on Roman’s face was telling. 

“Gravity,” Dean winked at Roman.

Roman huffed out a sigh and went to the back. Dean followed not too far behind. When they got into the kitchen they saw that same pot sitting on the floor in the middle of the kitchen. Roman looked back at Dean before picking it up and putting it back. Dean watched with a smug look on his face.

“You can say it,” Roman sighed.

“I told you so. I told you it was a ghost and that ghosts are real,” Dean gloated, “Told you.”

Roman walked back over to Dean and ruffled his hair, “Yeah yeah yeah.”

With a victorious grin Dean leaned up and planted a kiss on Roman’s lips. Roman nudge him back out into the dining area and they both took their seats again. Dean immediately shoved more fries into his mouth. Roman smiled to himself as he watched Dean. Dean hadn’t noticed Roman staring at him until he went to take a sip of his coffee.

“What?” Dean asked.

“You’re cute,” Roman replied.

It was the same thing Roman had said to him at the drive in. It made Dean blush then and it made Dean blush now as his face heated up immediately. He could tell by the way Roman said it that he meant it. Dean reached across the table and grabbed Roman’s hand. This wasn’t what he had expected when he took the open job at the diner. It definitely wasn’t what Dean was expecting when he rolled into town. He was however glad it’s what he found.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr @kingvandam!


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